A Gift to Those in Need

The program of cooking turkeys has become a tradition for our lodge. We recognize and willingly support the charitable work performed by One Incredible Family (a non-profit charitable organization that brightens the holidays for those in need) by preparing I excess of 1600 meals to be distributed to the shelters of those in need. This act of giving strikes at the very heart of who we are and what we do.

I have a list of brothers and others who have volunteered to use their ovens to prepare turkeys that will be handed over to One Incredible Family the Saturday following Thanksgiving. Our volunteering brothers will pick-up the turkeys on Friday at 10:30 a.m. The turkeys will have been purchased at Costco with donations from the brethren. Those volunteering to prepare turkeys will return them, fully cooked, in the provided, disposable aluminum pans on Saturday at 8 a.m. The disposable aluminum pans will be issued with the purchased turkeys on Friday. All we want is the turkey, and NOT THE JUICE OR GIBBLETS (neck and innards). On the Saturday following Thanksgiving, at 8:00 a.m., at our temple, we will load them in my truck and take them to Southern California Lodge where an army of mostly college and university volunteers will be working in an assembly line fashion to fill the boxes with all the trimmings of Thanksgiving, including the turkeys that we have furnished. They will receive all the trimmings from contributing companies but the one thing they need most are the turkeys.

Now, we need donations to buy the turkeys. If you want to participate but can’t cook a turkey then please make a donation so we can purchase one for someone else to cook. It stands to reason that we need enough cooks to match the number of turkeys purchased. We are looking for one cook per turkey, although a volunteer may cook more than one, if he or she has the ovens available. It takes about $20 to buy one turkey. Last year we provided over 32 to this fine program. We are hoping to equal or exceed that record this year.

If you wish to volunteer (either to purchase or cook a turkey) please contact Clarence Kussner by email, at

cl*************@gm***.com

or by phone at 310-398-7683. We would be proud to have you on board.