Manchester's Hilton Garden Inn Gives to NH Food Bank

MANCHESTER, NH — Queen City's Hilton Garden Inn recently presented a $3,000 check to the New Hampshire Food Bank in honor of the hotel's former breakfast chef Kearn Turner, who died in May after battling ALS. The donation check was presented to the food bank on Aug. 28, during the Greater Manchester Chamber of Commerce Spotlight on Business luncheon, held at the Hilton Garden Inn.

According to the hotel, its staff-influenced donation program began as a partnership with the Chamber in 2016 and has since generated $12,000 in donations to four organizations in honor of the team's personal connections. The Aug. 28 check primarily benefits the food bank's Recipe for Success culinary training program.

"Kean had a passion for people, cooking and giving back — which is the embodiment of the New Hampshire Food Bank Recipe for Success program," said Maureen Shelley, director of employee development of Roedel Companies, the parent company of Hilton Garden Inn. "We recently hired a graduate of the Recipe for Success program and have seen firsthand the incredible benefits of the program for individuals participating and the community. We're confident Kearn is smiling over this donation made in his memory by the staff who loved and considered him family."

The food bank's Recipe for Success programs reach outside food distribution to fight the root causes of hunger, by empowering people to learn new skills. This enables them to become more self-sufficient and improve their quality of life, according to Roedel Companies. The eight-week training program aims to prepare people for working in the food industry. To encourage completion, a small increasing stipend is provided to participants to offset the cost associated with attending, including child care, gas or public transit.

The $3,000 donation from Hilton Garden Inn will fund a full program stipend for approximately nine graduating participants.

"Watching participants graduate from our Recipe for Success Culinary Job Training program is one of the most satisfying moments of gratitude," said Eileen Liponis, executive director of N.H. Food Bank.

Turner was breakfast chef at Manchester's Hilton Garden Inn for more than seven years. He was known for his seemingly permanent smile, singing and testing out new recipes on fellow colleagues and regular guests. During his time at Hilton Garden Inn, Turner began to notice a change in himself, which later was identified as Amyotrophic lateral scierosis (ALS), also known as Lou Gehrig's disease.

Due to ALS, Turner was forced to slow down at work until eventually retiring in 2015. Still, he remained a part of the Hilton Garden Inn family, visiting the kitchen and attending holiday gatherings, until he died of the disease on Memorial Day this year.

More than 50 colleagues and friends, including Turner's wife Janene, attended the Aug. 28 Chamber event. Photos of Turner scrolled through the projector throughout the luncheon and staff remembered him fondly by sharing memories. Hotel Chef Dana Marchand prepared prime rib and sent the participants home with banana bread made using Turner's own recipe, made famous among staff and guests who always asked for another piece to-go, according to hotel officials.

In addition to the $3,000 check donation, Hilton Garden Inn created centerpieces made of nonperishable food items for the Aug. 28 event. The food was donated the the food bank.