I’m a midweek muse from the US East Coast as I prepare for the Thanksgiving turkey feast. I’ve taken Friday off to extend the weekend so I can spend most of Friday recovering from overeating and perhaps engage in a little Black Friday shopping.
However, this post is not about me and my food or shopping dilemmas; it is about an initiative my buddies and I took back in 2020.
It is about helping families during the important and often emotional holidays such as Thanksgiving and Christmas.
The Kunckelhead Gang Strikes
During one of our Knucklehead Gang gatherings, we decided to help a few families facing challenges such as financial, medical, or other events that can cause rifts in their daily routines.
We have seen how making and handing out food at various charity events we participate in is greatly appreciated, so we know food can help raise the spirits during the holidays. Too often, families get stressed or depressed when they cannot afford festive dinners, and it can be hard to explain to the kids that we cannot celebrate properly.
It was unanimously agreed to cook several turkey dinners for local families in need. Investing a little time and money in buying and preparing meals is a small sacrifice, but the rewards are priceless.
All we had to do was to share the cost amongst the gang, which we could afford, and then we invested our time cooking together or apart—a straightforward and compelling concept.
Finding Families in Need
Unfortunately, it is not difficult to find families in need! They are all around us but are too shy or embarrassed to ask for help, and I do not blame them. It is hard to admit and ask for help as people might judge you without understanding your circumstances.
COVID brought a long list of challenges to our communities, and some families were battered with the onset of strange illness and symptoms; some lost family members, some lost jobs, and many lost income.
What we could afford in previous years suddenly became unachievable.
One of the wives in our group has some insight into some local families in dire need, so it was, unfortunately, easy to select a few families to help. We picked four families in the first year.
The logic behind four was that we had gathered two turkeys, one half per family.
Cooking with Love
Our Knucklehead Gang was created during COVID out of the love and support for each other’s wellbeing, the desire to drink beer, grill meat or seafood, listen to music, burn some shit, and laugh. It is a guy thing, and we thoroughly enjoy hanging out. Any excuse to explore the outdoor kitchen is well worth a gathering.
The mental boost we all received from gatherings during COVID could not be measured, but I can guarantee that it strengthened all our families, and we could fight any mental challenge.
So, when we agreed to cook for needy families, it was an opportunity to do what we enjoy while serving a purpose: cook, drink, laugh, listen, and talk shit.
For our first Thanksgiving Cook event, I brought my Traeger to my friend’s house and loaded a cooler with supplies, tinfoil trays, and a bag full of laughter.
We met late afternoon, fired up the grills and firepits, and started to cook outside.
The good thing about cooking or smoking turkeys is that it takes several hours to hit the internal temp of 165F, so we had plenty of time to prepare the various sides and make some food while indulging in some great local brew.
It gets really loud when we are together, but that is the beauty of the friendship we have developed. If Human Resources listened to our conversations, we would be in a lot of trouble, mainly because of the non-PC topics and the amount of foul language.
The Reward
We are not in it for the glory but simply for the reward of seeing and hearing a family’s gratitude for our donation.
We do not care about the time we invest, which is unimportant.
It is essential that a family can sit down and enjoy a well-cooked meal and celebrate Thanksgiving, giving their family a loving time without stress or worries.
Thanksgiving 2023
Unfortunately, the Knucklehead Gang could not meet up this year to cook. Life and other events got in the way, but that does not mean we do not cook meals for needy families.
I volunteered to cook the turkeys this year alone, but the guys cooked or donated sides to complete the meals. It wasn’t about me cooking – it was a team event, even if we were not cooking together.
This year, we cooked:
- Smoked turkey on the Traeger
- Roasted halved baby potatoes
- Garlic steamed green beans
- Glazed carrots
- Homemade gravy (from scratch)
- Homemade cranberry sauce
- Stuffing (as a European, this is a strange but still delicious side dish)
- Homemade apple pie (from scratch)
We had identified a few families in the community, and it was gratifying to deliver the meals.
“I’m my brothers caretaker, and I’m also declining in health, so this is a ray of sunshine and divine intervention to help us. We are blessed that we met you!”
Loving Brother
The smiles, the tears, the heartwarming handshakes, and the feeling of bringing joy and hope to people are amazing. You cannot buy that kind of reward, and I’m so happy that we started this fantastic journey.
“Just want to let you know that we teared up when I got inside after you dropped off the food. We have been caught up with medial appointments, and it has been overwheleming. God bless you and your family!”
A Family of Veterans
In all honesty, when we got home after delivering the meals, I needed a drink to calm down and not tear up from seeing the joy we brought.
It was overwhelming for my wife and I, and we hugged.
A Message of Hope
What did we learn?
Listen, you can be busy with life, work, and material things, but it does not take much to help others in need, and many families are in need.
A small gesture, such as delivering a home-cooked meal or an apple pie, will generate love and hope in the community and touch a family in their darkest hour.
I will encourage you to see what you can do. It does not have to be much, but anything will be appreciated.
Just promise me that you do not just buy a bag of random groceries.
A homecooked meal heals and warms the heart.
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