Everything but the Turkey Volunteers Will Cook Up Thanksgiving Cheer for Miami’s Homeless

Join Federation and the Jewish Volunteer Center (JVC) to share your Thanksgiving spirit with hundreds of other volunteers at the Ninth Annual Everything but the Turkey.The hands-on volunteer experience and food-preparation marathon will result in holiday side dishes and baked goods for thousands of homeless residents in Miami-Dade County. Don your aprons on Monday, November 20 at 5 p.m. at Aventura Turnberry Jewish Center or Tuesday, November 21 at 5 p.m. at Temple Beth Am. JVC Chair Tobi Ash said, “We feel particularly blessed because so many volunteers from the community step forward each year for this incredible event.”

The popular service event attracts more than 700 volunteers who prepare side dishes to accompany over 9,000 meals that will be served to homeless men, women and children for the holiday. “A lot of volunteers are drawn to this annual program because it’s a real hands-on event that is directly responsible for a terrific, heart-warming result,” said Esther Peart, Chair of North Dade Gives Back. For this year’s Bake It Better edition, participants will prepare a number of dishes including pumpkin bread, sweet potato casserole, stuffing and other treats for the Miami Rescue Mission to bake and serve on Thanksgiving.

Lauren Amron, Chair of South Dade Gives Back, brings her parents, children and sister each year to volunteer with the community and share a meaningful experience. “There’s a wonderful energy in the room,” she said. “It’s a marvelous way to give meaning to the holiday season and help those less fortunate.”

Peart, too, returns year after year with her children to participate: “When our kids see us performing mitzvot (good deeds), they become more interested in doing mitzvot themselves.”

For more information, click here or contact JVC Director Lori Tabachnikoff at volunteer@JewishMiami.org or 786.866.8680.