In the end, the Rotary Club fulfilled its goal of delivering Thanksgiving dinners — turkeys included — to nearly 1,000 less fortunate families.
But it wasn’t easy.
In past years, the Rotary Club of Great Neck purchased Thanksgiving dinners — turkeys included — from the Waldbaum’s in Great Neck.
But the Rotary Club didn’t have that option this year with the closing of the Waldbaum’s in Great Neck and subsequent sale to Best Market.
“This year was extremely difficult,” said Roger Chizever, past Rotary Club president and Thanksgiving Drive Committee commissioner. “Normally we get from Waldbaum’s, but they are no more. They kept saying [they’ll] be able to help, but at the end of the day they can’t even help you, they’re no longer around.”
Chizever said he contacts the store managers to work out the large purchases, but Best Market had not fully taken over from Waldbaum’s when the order had to be placed.
Instead, Chizever said, he turned at the last minute to the Stop & Shop in Little Neck to buy the turkeys.
Still the club’s problems did not end there.
“What a nightmare,” Chizever said. “The produce guy calls up and goes I can’t do Friday. We ordered the turkeys, normally everything is delivered, this time they said ‘no, no, no,’ we’re not delivering, you have to come pick it up.”
He said this forced the club to rent a truck to pick up the turkeys, and book a room for use in the Merchant Marine Academy a day earlier than in past years.
“We had half the volunteers we normally would have Sunday,” Chizever said. “Since we changed it to Saturday, there was a group of 200 that could not come, so it worked out all okay.”
Volunteers that were able to help included 22 students from the Great Neck North and South high school Key and Interact clubs, as well as 15 community and Rotary club members, compared to the usually group of 50 or 60 volunteers, Chizever said.
That was not the end of the challenges.
The deserts ordered were out of stock and had to be directly shipped from the supplier, and the club was a few turkeys short of their original planned count, Chizever said.
Normally, the club provides dinner to 1,000 families. This year, he said, they had to settle for 935 families.
Still, the gifts we’re greatly appreciated.
“We give it to them and its not cooked,” Chizever said. “This way they can be at home with their family and not have to go to a soup kitchen.”
The club provides full dinners of not just a turkey, but also carrots, peas, potatoes, yams, corn and even desert.
Packaged meals, in a reusable bag, are given to local charities, who then distribute meals to the families.
“We got around it, and we got the job done,” Chizever said of this year’s challenges. “Everyone got what they needed.”
