Boys & Girls Club Of Greenwich Holds 20th Annual Thanksgiving Feast

GREENWICH, CT — The smell of turkey and cranberry sauce filled the air inside the Boys & Girls Club of Greenwich (BGCG) on Tuesday evening, as the club hosted its 20th annual Thanksgiving feast.

The event enables club members to sit down and eat a delicious and nutritious meal as a family. For some children, it might be their only Thanksgiving meal this week.

Volunteers from the community, including the BGCG board of directors, club alumni, Greenwich first responders and even First Selectman Fred Camillo, have made it a tradition to stop by and serve food to nearly 300 boys and girls every year.

Don Palmer, the vice president of programs & youth development at the club, said the annual dinner is impactful because it brings everyone together under one roof for a night.

"[The meal is] also being served by leaders of the community, which is nice because kids get to see their principals here, and they meet the police chief or fire chief. I think this goes a long way all the way around in the community," Palmer said.

Greenwich Police Chief James Heavey was on pie-duty Tuesday, a promotion, he said, from last year when he dished out gravy.

Heavey is a former club kid himself, and was heavily involved in Camp Simmons.

"Thanksgiving is all about tradition," he said. "It's always nice to come back and give back a little bit, and also inspire the kids."

The meal was prepared by Courtnay Arpano of Courtnay's Kitchen, and featured all the traditional Thanksgiving fixings.

For 13-year-old Taylor Tejada, a student at Western Middle School, the mashed potatoes and stuffing were big hits.

But aside from the food, Tejada said he enjoyed the experience of the night.

"I feel like this is a very special opportunity because we all get to bond with each other more through dinner and talk about how our day was," he said.

The meal was extra special for Nargis Hussaini, 17, a camp counselor at the club and a student at Greenwich Country Day School.

Hussaini moved to the United States from Afghanistan about four years ago. She said this year is her first Thanksgiving, and her family's first time truly celebrating an American holiday.

"It's nice being around the kids, too, and having them involved, and seeing their faces smile," she said. "Especially because some kids don't get the opportunity to experience this in their homes, it's nice to give them that opportunity in the club."

Eileen Tang, chair of the BGCG board, said the annual dinner is more impactful after the worst of the COVID-19 pandemic. The dinner was canceled in 2020, and returned to in-person last year.

"For a lot of the kids we serve, the club is their main food for the day," she said. "It's really exciting to bring them all together to celebrate."