For 1,000 people in Casper, there’s a lot more to be thankful for this holiday.
A generous, and anonymous, donation from a Casper couple will allow for 220 freshly prepared Thanksgiving meals to be served Wednesday evening to families finding their budgets a little tighter this year.
In cooperation with Eggington’s Restaurant (a popular breakfast spot on 2nd Street), staff at the Boys & Girls Club will give out enough food to feed 220 families of four to six people each, said Nicole Arner, the club’s Paradise Valley branch director.
“They will pick them up from the Boys & Girls Club on Wednesday night starting at 6 o’clock, until all the meals are gone,” said Arner.
All The Fixin’s
Turkey, ham, stuffing, carrots and mashed potatoes and gravy are on the menu for the first 220 cars that pull up to the Boys & Girls Club Main Branch at 1701 E. K St. in Casper.
Arner said the staff at Eggington’s – which only serves breakfast and lunch – is putting in extra hours to make the event happen.
“Their restaurant closes up a little bit earlier in the day, so then they’ll make the meals after that,” Arner said.
Ashley Bright, CEO of Boys & Girls Clubs of Central Wyoming, said the anonymous couple approached the organization and asked what the needs of families would be around Thanksgiving.
“We shared with them our needs for meals and to be able to provide a Thanksgiving dinner for families,” he said. “And then they met with Pete and Amber Fazio (at Eggington’s) who said, ‘Sure, we are on board.’”
Bright said Eggington’s coordinated the meals and the presentation and production with their team at the Boys & Girls Clubs.
First-Come, First-Served
And there’s no pre-qualification or list to sign up to receive this Thanksgiving blessing – it’s first come, first served until the meals have all been distributed.
“They just pull up curbside, and we will bring the food straight to their car,” said Arner. “And then when the meals are gone, we’ll be done for the day.”
Bright said this isn’t the first time the entities have teamed up to help families.
“We’ve had this relationship through COVID,” he said, when the same opportunity was offered to families at Thanksgiving during the height of the pandemic.
Serving Families In Need
Cheryl Hackett is the director of development at the Boys & Girls Clubs of Central Wyoming, which serves four counties throughout the state and provides services for 3,243 members. Through outreach and other programming, such as activities and athletics, Hackett said last year 11,556 youth were reached.
“We served, in the last year, 139,392 total meals and snacks,” said Hackett.
And Bright pointed out that for many families this Thanksgiving, this meal means less financial stress at a time when budgets are already stretched.
“It will just do wonders for the families in terms of providing for them for Thanksgiving meals,” he said. “We’re just grateful to be really the hands and feet to serve and and truly make a difference in the community through Boys & Girls Club and our Boys & Girls Club families.”
A Message of Love
The only request made by the anonymous philanthropic couple is that a scripture passage from Psalm 9:10 be included with the meal: “And those who know your name put their trust in you, for you, O Lord, have not forsaken those who seek you.”
“This Casper couple just wanted to share some love and make sure that families got what they needed,” said Arner.
