Pembroke Academy Students Serve Early Thanksgiving To Seniors

PEMBROKE, NH — Coronavirus is not stopping students from serving others in the capital region.

Dozens of Pembroke Academy students who are members of the PA Key Club served an early Thanksgiving dinner on Saturday to between 100 to 150 seniors from Allenstown, Chichester, Epsom, and Pembroke as part of the club’s annual Senior Citizen Thanksgiving Dinner.

The students raised funds during the year to purchase ingredients and supplies. They began preparing the food Friday to be served on Saturday, along with minor help from Danielle French and Sally Johnson, the club's faculty advisors. According to Ken Georgevits, the Kiwanis advisor from Concord, the PA Key Club had been serving meals for more than three decades.

This year, the club in Pembroke will cross the 4,000 meal mark, he said.

In 2020, the club skipped Thanksgiving. But the students circled back and created meals, about 150, for Easter, which were picked up. The students offered both in-person Thanksgiving meals at the school as well as a pickup option.

Johnson, a math teacher who had been an advisor for two years, said about three dozen students had worked at preparing the meals both days with the bulk of the students volunteering on Saturday. The students could sign up to assist either day or both days, she said

“The kids run it,” Johnson said. “It’s so smooth … we’ve been standing around because the kids are in control.”

The teachers did lend a hand with some of the hot stuff — getting turkeys in and out of ovens; there are seven at the school and two baking ovens, too. Students in the school’s cooking classes prepared a number of desserts. French said husbands and dads were in early to carve up the turkeys. Every other task though was performed by the students.

French, a school counselor, who was working her sixth year assisting the students, said the club, which was nonprofit, also reached out to Associated Grocers, a large employer in town, as well as Shaw’s Supermarkets and Target for donations. Concord Kiwanis also made a large donation for 2021.

“They were very generous this year,” she said.

In all, students and the advisors baked 14 turkeys, 50 pounds of mash potatoes, and 30 boxes of stuffing.

French said the students held a Halloween fundraiser as well as other smaller events and raised more than $1,000 to pay for the meals. She said everyone offers a little something — she used her Mason jars as centerpieces, as an example, to make the event “nice, presentable, welcoming, and warm.”

A raffle was also held — the turkey carcasses, to make broth, were a big hit this year. That money, too, goes back into the next community event.

“We are always recycling,” French said.

It was also a good learning process for the students — some who had never cooked before. She said there was a learning curve when it came to peeling the potatoes or measuring the butter for the stuffing since the butter did not come in sticks but pounds. Everyone joked the students were learning math while cooking.

French also said there were leadership skills, too, for the older students working with the younger students. The current PA Key Club had a lot of active younger members. There are 38 paid members of the club and about 50, overall, who are involved in events and activities. At Pembroke Academy, PA Key Club is the largest club.

Allison Miner, a senior at the school, had been involved with Key Club for three years. She is the current vice president, participating in the dinner all three years. Miner, this year, was on potato duty, both peeling and cutting, as well as serving stuffing.

“I think it’s really important because the community loves to come out and interact with each other,” she said. “It gives a chance, for people who don’t have a chance to have Thanksgiving with their families, to celebrate a meal.”

Miner hopes to work in marketing while also being a graphic designer in the future.

Another student active in the club was Jake Demers, a sophomore, who was secretary for the club. This was his second year volunteering — handing out drinks and desserts, and making gravy.

“I like giving back to the community,” he said. “It’s a positive experience for everyone; I like how it spreads positivity.”

Demers said he would run for president or vice president next year or gaining a leadership position at the district level of Kiwanis, if possible.

Georgevits said, in the past, both Concord High School and Merrimack Valley High School had Key Clubs along with Pembroke that worked with Kiwanis. But since the positions were not paid, the organization had been unable to find teachers in Concord or Penacook and surrounding communities that work at MV, to be faculty advisors, he said.

“The key to a good Key Club is having these people,” Georgevits said, of French and Johnson.

Kiwanis clubs will host close to 150,000 service projects in 2021 with more than 550,000 members from K-Kids, Key Clubs, and Kiwanis, from many age groups and countries, participating.

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