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Miami Valley Meals

Miami Valley Meals to Host Turkey Takeaway Meals For Thanksgiving

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For the second year in a row, Miami Valley Meals (MVM) will host a Turkey Takeaway Event for those in need across the Miami Valley. The event is being held this year with support from presenting sponsor, the Feast of Giving.

The Feast of Giving is an annual Dayton Holiday tradition providing Thanksgiving fare and festive fellowship. This community affair has served over 7,000 guests per year since 2009 and was most recently enjoyed in the Dayton Convention Center in 2019. The event was cancelled last year due to COVID-19 and the ongoing pandemic is forcing the event not to be held this year.

Although Daytonians will not be able to gather together for the Feast of Giving this year, the organization is supportive of MVM’s efforts to ensure all have a meal to enjoy this holiday.

Dr. Stephen Levitt, team member of the Feast of Giving, had this to say,

“The Feast of Giving is both excited and honored to support Miami Valley Meals in sharing a common goal of providing Thanksgiving meals to those who want and need them in our community. These meals are prepared, provided and served with dignity.”

Dr. Levitt goes on to say, “Although this is not our traditional event at the Dayton Convention Center, it provides an excellent Thanksgiving meal during difficult times. We are most grateful to Miami Valley Meals and their staff for making this possible. The Feast of Giving wishes everyone a happy and healthy holiday.”

In 2020, MVM distributed 10,000 frozen Thanksgiving meals at two sites along with increased service through their regular partners. This year, the goal is to distribute 15,000 meals.

MVM meals

Distributions this year will again take place the day before Thanksgiving, Wednesday, November 24, from 9 a.m. to 12 p.m. at Trotwood-Madison High School and The University of Dayton Arena. Guests are to stay in their vehicles, follow signage for the drive-through, and meals will be placed in their vehicles. Masks are required. This is a first come, first served event.

In addition, MVM has partnered with the Dayton Young Black Professionals to add two smaller satellite locations in West Dayton at the Omega Baptist Church and the Dayton Boys & Girls Club. Distributions at these satellite locations will be from 12 p.m to 3 p.m.

Formerly working out of gracious host kitchens at House of Bread, the Life Enrichment Center and Lindy’s at Daybreak, MVM is now housed under one roof with its own kitchen. Miami Valley Meals is a partner agency of The Foodbank who will support this event with ingredient sourcing, temporary storage and trucks on the day of the event. MVM also reconnected with its former production partner, Lindy’s at Daybreak, to provide dessert for this year’s meals.

“The Turkey Takeaway event is made possible by tremendous community partnership, a supportive board and a hard-working team. We are all working towards the same goal — to provide a sense of normalcy, warmth and respite from difficult situations,” said MVM Executive Director, Amanda DeLotelle. “If you are struggling, we hope that the meal we provide makes your Thanksgiving a bit easier and brighter.”

Volunteer opportunities will be announced later this month on MVM’s website (miamivalleymeals.org) and its social media channels (@MiamiValleyMeals on Facebook and Instagram).

 

 

Miami Valley Meals Emerges from Pandemic

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Chef Matt DeAngulo was the executive chef at Victoria Theatre Association’s Citilites at the Schuster Center and Event Services Department for nearly six years. In January of 2020 it was announced that they were closing down for renovations and a concept change, laying off all staff.

Chef Matt

Chef Matt, began volunteering more time with a local organization Set the Banquet Table, which was founded by baker and former Executive Director of House of Bread, Bill Evans.  And then COVID 19 hit. In mid-March, Chef Matt DeAngulo asked friend and 501c3 Set the Banquet Table Chairman, Bill Evans, the best way to help. A couple of conversations more and Chef Matt had activated a team of recently unemployed Chefs and culinary professionals to assist by quickly and efficiently bulk preparing nutritious food. They began their efforts at the House of Bread and shortly after, St. Vincent de Paul and eventually, The Life Enrichment Center. The team’s many volunteer hours were soon supplemented through a new fiduciary, Set the Banquet Table.

As word got out among the social services community, Chef Matt’s meals were in demand. In his quest to feed the hungry in the region the vision for Miami Valley Meals was born.  Using the skills of local chefs, they were able to use every bit of the donated food they received to create bulk nutritious meals to those in need. They started using the kitchen at the House of Bread, began working with St. Vincent De Paul and East End Community Services.

As the pandemic continued the vision grew by May  with a $250,000 grant from the Federal Cares Act, made possible through the Community Action Partnership, Miami Valley Meals morphed into more than just a vision, but a true business.  With a business plan that continues to grow and morph, the needs this organization can feed in the community are infinite.

Janice

Hiring Amanda DeLotelle as the Executive Director,  who had worked with Chef Matt as the Food And Beverage GM at Victoria Theatre, and then worked with Kohler Catering before being laid off due to COVID 19, and Chef Matt were the first two hires. they were also supported by many partners including The Food Bank, Hall Hunger Initiative, East End Community Services, The Department of Public Health, Declare and many more.

They’ve now been able to bring on three full time chefs, several cooks and Janice part time bookkeeper who also paints, builds, and has done welding projects for the  new space! Currently they have a staff of 10 and several key volunteers.  Other volunteers are needed drivers for  delivering meals to their partner, and in the future the plan for a garden will open up more volunteer opportunities.

With the  talents of chefs, financial support from contributors, and emotional support from many, it is the goal of Miami Valley Meals to serve groups who are currently in our area directly feeding those who are in need of nourishment.  They are currently working with 17 partner agencies and preparing an average of about 1500 meal each week, serving folks in Jamestown, Hamilton and all over the region. To date, they have compiled hundreds of volunteer hours and prepared more than 35,000 meals for underserved citizens in Dayton since our first day in the kitchen on March 24th.

 

They’ve just secured a building to serve as the hub of their packing and distribution center at the corner of Washington St. and Edwin C Moses, with a plan to raise the $330,000 it will take to buy the building, which will place them just minutes from Sinclair College and Ponitz Career Tech, where they would be abler to work with the culinary students from both schools to teach bulk food preparation and perhaps offer internships.

If you’d like to help Miami Valley Meals with a cash donation, please donate here.

Miami Valley Meals Wish list:
Food Carts,  plumbing services to install a mop and 3 compartments sinks, stainless tables, a cargo van, someone who could build a ramp at the building entry, painters for the building (the paint has been donated). For more information contact [email protected]

 

Chef Matt DeAngulo, Amanda DeLotelle and Bill Evans

Miami Valley Meals serves those that feed the hungry. If you work with an organization that is seeking assistance in feeding the hungry, see if it’s a good fit for Miami Valley meals by filling out this form.   If you are an individual in need of assistance, please use the 211 resource phone line.