Turkey Time for Greenwich Youngsters

Photos: the 2015 Thanksgiving dinner at the Greenwich Boys & Girls Club; Declan O’Regan with his dinner; volunteers get ready to serve dinner; Greenwich Police Chaplain Rev. Thomas Nins and Officer Shirley Rilett serve up pie. Credit: Barbara Heins.

Declan O’Regan started his Thanksgiving holiday celebration early — along with 330 other Greenwich youngsters.

It took a village of volunteers and staff at the Greenwich Boys & Girls Club to pull together the 13th annual Thanksgiving dinner that was served up at the Horseneck Lane facility on Tuesday evening.

By the time it was over, club members chowed down about 350 pounds of turkey (donated by Stew Leonard’s), 150 pounds of mashed potatoes, 90 pounds of stuffing, 75 pounds of green beans, a gallon of cranberry sauce and five gallons of gravy — all prepared by the staff of Watson’s Catering in Greenwich. And that was before the more than three dozen apple and pumpkin pies topped with whipped cream were served.

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“I like Thanksgiving because we all get to eat together with everybody talking, eating and having a good time,” nine-year-old Declan said of holiday dinner. His favorite part of the holiday? “When my Dad cuts the turkey and passes it around.”

Surveying the controlled chaos of the kids entering the gymnasium where dozens of club board members, town officials and employees — including a large contingent from the Greenwich Police Department, were serving dinner, club Executive Director Bobby Walker Jr. said, “”Look at the smiles, not only on the kids but the volunteers too. Everybody is feeling pretty good and all for the right reasons.”

Walker added, “It’s one of the great events here and it reminds me how much this community means to the town and how the town needs this place. The town gives us support. Our board gives us a lot of time and resources and they all do it from the heart.”