Big Heart Brigade and Partners Feed 100K

If you live anywhere near the greater Palm Beach County area, it’s pretty hard to miss the fact that every year at Thanksgiving Christ Fellowship Church in Palm Beach Gardens, in concert with Big Heart Brigade, sees to it that a lot, and I mean a lot of people that otherwise might not have a meal, get one.

I’ve known about this annual event and have volunteered since I moved into the area four years ago.  This year I decided to find out about the nuts and bolts of how it all happens. 

This is a massive undertaking involving many thousands of volunteers that arrive in shifts; morning, afternoon, and evening.  Some stay for a complete shift, others whatever time they can spare; all are committed to helping prepare and deliver the near 105,000 Turkey dinners in time for Thanksgiving.

I spoke with Tom DeRita and his son David, and got a little history on this amazing event.  Back in 1992 David, a firefighter, stumbled upon a group of homeless Vietnam Vets and their families that were huddled together just before Thanksgiving.  He decided right there and then that he needed to do something; so he went home and discussed this with his dad.  They were blessed to be able to provide meals for 17 families that first year; thus was Big Heart Brigade born.

Ever since, they have expanded and served over a million meals at Thanksgiving and other events to anyone in need.  They have formed varied partnerships with the following growing list of supporting businesses and individuals:

Moss Family Trucking, Hundley Farms, Pero Farms, Lexus, Lost Tree Village Foundation, John and Jeanette Staluppi, The Weisberg Family, John Rosatti Family Trust, Christ Fellowship Church, R.C. Hatton Farms, Florida Crystals, Everglades Farm Equipment, The Honda Classic, Auto Builders, IGP Group, LLC, Bryon Scholz Plumbing, PBCSO, Publix, Gary Nicklaus/Nicklauss Family, Amanda J. Buckley Foundation, Cheney Bros., Costco, The Weitz Company, T. Coast Pavers, City of Palm Beach Gardens, SWS/All Star Portables, Sunshine Tent Rentals, Waste Management, Florida Power and Light, Tidy Coast Event Services, Gordon Food Service, Palm Beach Community Church, Baron Signs, Turner Construction, Letica Corporation, Grainger, Downtown at the Gardens, Palmdale Oil Company, Acreage Pines Elementary, Dean Morehouse, and Wells Fargo.

Christ Fellowship teamed up with them about 10 years ago when they served about 25,000 meals, and have blessed the event with incredible numbers of volunteers and financial support where possible ever since.

As the photo above shows, all around the back lot of the Northlake Fire Station, one can see refrigerated trailers from the companies that have generously made them available.

Big Heart Brigade is also involved with such organizations as Wounded Warriors, Give a Smile to a Child, and many others to ensure that they reach as many veterans and other groups as possible.

The outreach is not 100% localized either; there have been calls for meals, which have been honored, from as far away as Mississippi.

While the planning and preparation is months long; indeed, they start making the pumpkin bread in August; serving the near 105,000 meals makes this the largest single event of its type in the nation.  All done by unpaid volunteers.

So, you might wonder how many turkeys it takes to feed that many people.  Here are the stats:

They smoked 2406 turkeys, which translates to roughly 60,000 Ibs. in specially built “China Boxes,” which are permanently housed on the Firehouse grounds, and occasionally used for other events during emergencies and the like.  

While I was here on Monday wrapping some of the meals, a certain US Congressman by the name of Allen West showed up as he does almost every year; un-announced and without fanfare, simply to help and pull some turkey; which is the second step in the process.  He was joined by former candidate for State Attorney, Dina Keever.

Once the turkeys are smoked, they are then ‘pulled,’ and sent along the assembly line for packaging with the other items in the plates.  The other items include: Cranberry Sauce, Gravy, Mashed Potatoes, Green Beans, Stuffing, and until they ran out…Pumpkin Bread. 

It’s important to note that while all of the listed groups support in very generous ways, the only item that is provided completely free of cost are the Green Beans which are provided by Hundley Farms, and it is for that reason that Big Heart Brigade appreciates donations.  They accept cash, checks and one may visit their website at www.bigheartbrigade.net.

The Patriots Press salutes everyone involved with this monumental undertaking and outpouring of community spirit and generosity.