Free Community Feasts This Thanksgiving

While some individuals may sit down with family and friends this Thanksgiving to a table covered with the bounties of the season, many others will go hungry.

On November 21, the Kona Task Force on Feeding the Hungry gathers at the Kealakehe Intermediate School to offer a free Thanksgiving dinner to all.

At 5:30 p.m. a complete turkey dinner will be served to the public while live music plays.

Kealakehe Intermediate School is located at 74-5062 Onipaa Street in Kailua-Kona.

Then on November 22, The Pantry, a nonprofit group provides an opportunity for everyone to gather, share and give thanks.

From 12 p.m. to 4 p.m. at Kuhio Hale, Hawaiian Homes Hall, a Thanksgiving feast will be prepared and offered to the community. Donations are appreciated, but not required.

The Pantry’s Executive Director Beth Mehau is passionate about this project. “We intend for this to be a renaissance of the true meaning of Thanksgiving,” said Mehau.

Participants are asked to bring their own utensils, cup and plate to reduce waste and encourage sustainability practices.

Mehau collaborated with Waimea’s Artists’ Guild and and Mamas Thrift House to provide a holiday event that extolls the virtues of our island people and the land’s resources.

“This becomes about celebrating the bounty of local fresh produce and the seasonal foods that North Hawaii provides so abundantly.” Our community knows how to feed each other. There really is enough,” said Mehau.

To attend, organizers request that participants RSVP to assist in food estimates for the event.

This is The Pantry’s first community Thanksgiving. Donations of cash, food, decorations and services are welcomed.

Church groups, food pantries, feeding ministries, businesses, schools, government agencies and other organizations are also invited to partner with The Pantry’s efforts to share in this community feeding effort.

For more information, to get involved, volunteer, donate, and/or RSVP, call 887-2289. Kuhio Hale, Hawaiian Homes Hall is located at Mamalahoa Highway at Mana Road in Kamuela.