Thanksgiving Dinner Tradition to Continue At City Firehouse
By TOM CARDINALE
 Coaster Photo by Tom Cardinale: Executive Chef Pete Black of Giamanos Restaurant in Bradley Beach will be cooking a Thanksgiving feast to be served at the Asbury Park firehouse. |
For more than 20 years a Thanksgiving dinner with all the trimmings has been served to anyone who shows up on the holiday at the Asbury Park firehouse.
This year there was some concern whether the tradition would continue.
When Steffan Manno of Giamano’s in Bradley Beach called Asbury Park Fire Chief Kevin Keddy to offer his assistance for the annual Thanksgiving Day feast he was surprised to hear that there were no plans to continue the extremely well attended tradition.
“I talked to Chief Keddy and he said nobody was doing it,” Manno said. “He said it wasn’t good because people would be expecting it so I told him I’d get it together the best I can.”
In past years the dinner was hosted by Piancones in Bradley Beach. The restaurant has since changed hands.
We didnt know what we were going to do, Keddy said. I have to say there would have been a negative impact if we didnt have it. They dont just come for the food, they come to be with other people.
Manno, who usually handles Asbury Park’s Christmas Day dinner at the firehouse, said he will take care of Thanksgiving. He took on the task, he said, because he believes it is necessary not to let residents of Asbury Park down on Thanksgiving.
“We’ve done Christmas dinner and to me it’s necessary because of the amount of people I see come,” he said. “There’s a lot of hardship in Asbury Park. On a holiday that’s supposed to be about giving, sharing, and compassion we’re trying to bring it back to that.”
Manno said, because of the short notice, he still needs as many volunteers and donations as possible.
He is seeking volunteers to work the dinner, which takes place on Thanksgiving Day, November 22, from 11 a.m. to 2 p.m. at the firehouse on the corner of Main St. and Asbury Ave. in Asbury Park, as well as donations of food, drinks, supplies, and anything else that might be needed to make the dinner a success.
At Christmas, he said, monetary donations are typically collected and the money is used to buy the supplies for the dinner. Volunteers are the most important asset they need, however, to make the event a success, Manno said.
“I’m blessed with the opportunities I’ve had and I see it as the right thing to do to give back,” he said of his motivation to undertake such a big project on such short notice. “I want people to feel like, if they need a Thanksgiving dinner there’s someone to give it to them even if they can’t afford it.”
Anyone interested in helping out with the feast should contact Manno at Giamano’s by calling 732-775-4275 or, he said, just show up at the firehouse at 10 a.m. on Thanksgiving Day.
In addition to the Thanksgiving dinner, Manno will also be hosting the aforementioned Christmas Day feast in Asbury Park and a newly planned Christmas dinner in Bradley Beach and will need volunteers for both of those events as well.
Contact Tom Cardinale at Tom@TheCoaster.net.
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