Turkeys for the Hungrey

Nov. 18, 2010 - PRLog -- Thick fog rises from the treetops and hovers above the buildings in the Sarasota Crossing plaza on Fruitville and Honore, but the streets and walkways are fog-free, cleared by the bustle of cars and people. Outside of Publix, people are driving up and hopping out of cars with turkeys and smiling faces—donating food to the annual Mayors’ Feed the Hungry drive.


And then a van pulls up, a big, moving-sized van. Emblazoned across the side is “Milan Catering.” Roberta Montelione and her chefs hop out in their chef whites and roll up the rear door to reveal a mound of boxes. Roberta’s grinning as people help her unload. It’s a whole bunch of frozen turkeys—100, enough to feed a small army. “With one turkey you can serve about 8-10 people, so with 100 turkeys that’s 1000 people you’re feeding. And if you’re a caterer you know you can probably stretch it, so you’re feeding even more,“ says Roberta.

She donates every year to this program, and her goal is to increase her donations every time. Last year she gave 72 turkeys, this time she was able to do almost 50% more.  “What’s really wonderful is our donation feeds people in the Sarasota community,” she says. “There’s not a lot of organizations left in Sarasota that do this.  When they shut down the kitchens, they basically get rid of the homeless, because if there’s nothing to eat you’re not going to stay here. Most people think it’s the beds but it’s not, it’s the food.”

Roberta is very aware of food distribution, and what lack of access to it means. Milan Catering employs 20, most of them part-time, all of them working extra hours because they need the income. “We donate in honor of all our employees,” says Roberta, “and some of my employees are on the fringes as well, meaning some of them could be going to these dinners and qualifying. We all sit down and I tell them I’d like to donate this for you in lieu of giving you something and they always vote to donate. I think that’s an awesome spirit.”

Another reminder of how generosity feeds both the body and the soul.

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Milan Catering and Event Design offers Full Service Catering in Sarasota, FL for weddings, galas and parties. We are approved Sarasota Caterers at the Ringling Musuem, Powel Crosley Estate, Marie Selby Gardens, Chelsea Center and other Sarasota venues