LOUISVILLE, Ky. — More than 150 children will receive a warm Thanksgiving meal this week.
Health care facility Seven Counties Services along with Bellwood & Brooklawn, a therapeutic foster care home, aims to offer a normal Thanksgiving to children who may not necessarily have experienced a traditional Thanksgiving before.
CEO and President Abby Drane said many of the children come from traumatic backgrounds navigating various emotional challenges and having a catering service in Louisville funded by the community, Drane said offers time for staff and children to bond.
“There's, you know, a lot of kids here, a lot of playing and a lot of love that goes on,” Drane said. “But at Thanksgiving time, when they may have had that experience with a family or through a foster care family or some of our children have never had that experience at all, we want to make that extra special for them this time of year and a time that the staff don't have to be up cooking and trying to prepare that meal while they're spending special time with the children, so having this catered is extra special to us and coming in.”
For two consecutive years, they’ve hosted small intimate Thanksgiving meals compared to the pre-COVID large family-style meal served in the on-campus gymnasium.
Meanwhile, preparations are underway for these meals delivered by Wednesday by Cravings A La Carted and Colonnade Catering in Louisville.
“I cook em tomorrow, I put parsley on them but I don’t tell everybody my secret of what I put in it,” said Marie Seargent, a cook who’s cutting red-skin potatoes.
She’s cooked for more than three decades and has perfected her famous potatoes and even mac and cheese.
“I come from a family of chefs and cooks,” Sergeant said. “And I make Mac and Cheese two to three times a week but this week I'll be making about four or five times.”
Seargent stirs the pot of green beans. She then moves to mixing a bowl of stuffing which she will have to triple the amount on Tuesday.
Meanwhile in another section of the kitchen, Chef Ryan Harvey slices.
“16 boneless turkey breast I have to cut up,” Harvey said. “I've been doing this for 45 years and it's my life.”
He’s heading up the meal preparation for Seven Counties Services as he lists the menu.
“It’s turkey, dressing, mashed potatoes, green beans, mac and cheese, corn, pumpkin pie, roll salad, the whole meal,” Harvey said. “They get the whole nine yards.”
They will spend 72 hours from start to finish to create the whole nine yards said Craving A La Carte and Colonnade Catering services co-owner Chuck Krill. He got a little sentimental during the interview and describes himself as tenderhearted speaking about children.
“We're very big on children. That’s just me. I'm kind of silly. But we're very big on our children and our family. It means a lot to us to participate in this,” Krill said.
They are eager to participate in a catering event to provide meals to children who perhaps may be experiencing their first Thanksgiving meals.
Harvey said they will spend Tuesday making the final touches to the menu and deliver the meals Wednesday evening.