Thanksgiving Dinners

Boys & Girls Clubs of the East Valley Opens Its Doors for Thanksgiving Dinners

Dinners to Be Held at Multiple Clubs and Open to the Public, Food Donations Being Accepted

TEMPE, Ariz- November 20, 2008 – The Boys & Girls Clubs of the East Valley will open its doors to the public for traditional Thanksgiving dinners prior to the holiday. Several of the organization’s locations expect hundreds of people from the community to join in the festivities.  “People might not think of the Boys & Girls Clubs as a place to celebrate Thanksgiving, but this will be the only Thanksgiving dinner some of our members will see and we want to make it special for those kids and their parents,” said president/CEO Ramon Elias.  “We have quite a few East Valley based companies planning to help out with volunteers and food donations and we’re happy to have more people come help.”

On Monday, November 24, the Apache Junction branch will offer a dinner at its location from 5:00-7:00pm.  On Tuesday, November 25, four of the organization’s clubs will hold Thanksgiving dinners with all the trimmings.  These locations include the Ladmo- Tempe Branch from 6:00-8:00pm, Grant Woods- Mesa Branch from 6:30-8:00pm and the Gilbert Branch & Teen Center will host its dinner from 6:30-8:00pm.  The Boys & Girls Clubs of the East Valley’s Komatke Branch in the Gila River Indian Community will also invite the community for dinner on Tuesday, November 25 from 5:30-8:00pm.  The Compadre Branch in Chandler will hold its event on Wednesday, November 26 from 6:00-8:00pm.

“We could certainly use more turkeys, stuffing mix, gravy mix, canned vegetables, sealed desserts, sealed bread rolls, drinks, mashed potato packages and donations as simple as salt, pepper and butter to help provide a traditional Thanksgiving meal for families and children who are less fortunate,” Elias said. “The Thanksgiving dinners are not only a great way to unite our Club and bring families together, but we also open it up to the public so other families can see what we do.  Our hope is that they will bring their kids back to the Clubs for our after-school and summer programs.”

Interested parents will be able to register their children during the events.  For information on Club locations, how to donate to the event or to help volunteer, contact Mindee Padilla at 480.820.3688 or via email at mindeep@clubzona.org.  More information can also be found at www.clubzona.org/

About the Boys & Girls Clubs of the East Valley

The Boys & Girls Clubs of the East Valley (www.clubzona.org) serves more than 30,000 children and teens annually, and continues to grow to meet the needs of today’s youth, providing a positive place for all kids and teens. Serving members in Apache Junction, Chandler, Gilbert, Guadalupe, Mesa, Tempe, Queen Creek, and the Gila River Indian Community, programs are offered after school and during the summer and provide youth and teens, ages 6 – 18, with fun and educational activities, supervised by professional staff.  The Boys & Girls Clubs of the East Valley’s annual membership fee is only $20 dollars a year and financial assistance is available.  No child is ever turned away if they are unable to pay the fee.

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