Lodi event brings good cheer
Boys and Girls Club hosts Thanksgiving dinner
One year ago, the Lodi Boys and Girls Club was not sure it would still be providing educational, athletic or recreational programs to local youngsters in 2019.
A lack of funding due to a loss of long-time sponsors and donors put the non-profit organization’s future in jeopardy.
But on Thursday, any fear of shuttering had been squashed, as the club once again served a free Thanksgiving meal to the youths it serves and their families.
“It’s really nice that the club puts this on,” Priscilla Gaines said. “For some of the people here, this is as good as it gets when it comes to Thanksgiving dinner. A lot of time and effort went in to putting this together.”
Gaines was one of the dozens of parents accompanying their children to the annual event at the club’s 275 Poplar St. location. Her two daughters have been coming to the Boys and Girls Club for two years, she said, adding Thursday’s feast was just as filling and delicious as a family might have at their own home.
Mike Stokes, a member of the club’s board of directors, said the meal has been provided to children and their families for more than 20 years.
“This is about giving back to the community, giving back to our members,” Stokes said as he poured hot gravy on plates of mashed potatoes and turkey. Other board members helped serve up corn, bread and vegetables to guests, as they have done for years, he said.
Stokes said the club teaches as many as 75 youngsters ethics and manners, and good eating habits, and provides them safe place to learn and have fun.
“A lot of these kids don’t experience a meal like this every year,” he said. “The board of directors here felt this was a good way to further build our relationship with the families we provide programs and services for.”
Chanden Pen-Algoso said it was her family’s first time attending the Thanksgiving dinner, and had only learned about it Wednesday evening as she picked her son up from the club.
“I love it,” she said. “They provide a place for our kids to play, and it’s a safe place too. They also provide us some food once a month. With the fee we pay every year, to provide this as well is just amazing.”
Hunter Holmes has been a member of the club for four years. The 12-year-old said he has brought his brother and mother to the dinner every year.
“I like this because families can come here, and they can eat and talk with each other,” he said. “I like all the food they serve, but my favorite would have to be the stuffing. It’s too good to describe, though.”
Club executive director Roger Coover said the dinner was just one of the many ways the non-profit organization thanks its members, as well as the Lodi community, for their continued support.
“The key to the club is to serve this community,” he said. “The more people find out about the club and what we do, the more people we ultimately can serve. Too often, people say they’ve heard of the club, but they don’t know exactly what we provide or offer. We hope this will help change that.”
Coover took over as the club’s executive director this past summer, and he said in the last four months, he and the board have been working hard to attract new donors, and bring old ones back into the fold.
One of the club’s largest donors was General Mills, which provided as much as $100,000 a year up until the company closed its Turner Road plant.
Club directors said the cereal giant’s donations accounted for as much as 20 percent of annual funds. Since the company’s departure, other large donors either reduced annual donations, or ended them.
Coover said it takes as much as $450,000 annually to operate the club, depending on how many children are members. He said bringing new and old donors to the club has reenergized staff, the directors, and the community.
“We provide a very important service for these families,” he said. “Some of them don’t want their kids to be ‘latchkey kids,’ or they can’t always afford a babysitter, and we provide a safe place for them to go. We’re grateful that the community has been able to support the club the way it has for years.”