by: Janice Randall Rohlf
Last year CCCI provided fully cooked Thanksgiving Dinners for 50 families in the Hyannis area. This year, they’re aiming for 70! While the pandemic makes reaching this goal more vital than ever, it has also been an impetus for a host of generous community partners to join forces with CCCI once again to accomplish this mission. We spoke to Mark Boardley, Youth Center Manager at the Hyannis Youth Community Center, about how he and his team are responding to the challenges before them, including helping to make this Thanksgiving a happy one for the community they serve.
CCCI: How did you first get involved with CCCI?
MB: In March 2019, Harry Henry reached out for help starting a cooking class for the youth who come to us, low-income kids who can’t afford typical after-school programs. It’s taught by Jeni Wheeler in the kitchen of the FFK (Faith family Kitchen) which is across the street from HYCC. It was a huge success, so we kept it going and have gotten involved with CCCI in other ways as well.
CCCI: A year after you started this youth cooking program with Harry, COVID hit. How did you adjust?
MB: Pre-Covid, we had about 96 kids a day taking advantage of the facility, including ice hockey, basketball, volleyball and a game room. As a recreation department, we are still functioning, keeping kids engaged and their minds focused on what’s positive in the world around them. As for the cooking class, we will try to do the same thing virtually, starting this winter, for eight kids at a time who will pick up a box for that week’s meal at the center, and then Jeni will instruct them via Zoom.
CCCI: There’s growing food insecurity in the community you serve. How are you addressing this?
MB: Since mid-March, every Friday we’re the distribution point for about 250 meals–each one enough to feed a family of four through the weekend. We wear masks and practice social distancing so what little interaction we have with people is safe. It’s remarkable.
CCCI: Tell us more about the plan for Thanksgiving.
MB: Harry has enlisted KAM Appliances to cook the turkeys, and other community partners are supplying stuffing, cranberries, squash, potatoes, rolls and pies. The food will be stored here at HYCC and about a dozen volunteers will put together 70 boxes that will be distributed from here.
CCCI: How do you identify the Thanksgiving meal recipients?
MB: We email people on a financial aid list that we have. Four program coordinators who are out in the community doing after-school and weekend programs also spread the word, particularly among people who may not come to our building specifically. We also rely on the networking we do with A Baby Center and Independence House to gather names. Other organizations are offering meals too, and we all talk to each other so no one is left out.
CCCI: How do you explain your and others’ ability to rise to a challenge during these trying times?
MB: With all these mandates and different rules, we just do as much as we can. Right now everybody wants to do good and help. In an eerie way, this is giving some people some normalcy, even if it’s just coming out to get food.