KAILUA-KONA — There was singing, cheering and excitement at the free meal held on Thanksgiving at Jackie Rey’s Ohana Grill.
A fundraiser for the Salvation Army, it requires extensive volunteer work to put it on.
“It’s a joy to do,” said Rhonda Shapiro-Hedgar, volunteer who makes the rounds of the Captain Cook area, knocking on doors to see if people need meals.
“There are a lot of shut-ins and elderly up there who want to eat,” she said.
She and her husband, Alex Shapiro-Hedgar, are one of the teams that make door-to-door deliveries.
Some drivers focus on retirement communities, often visiting the same one year after year.
This year they sent out 385 of the estimated 400 meals needed before the doors opened, organizer Anna Schmit said.
But the restaurant was just as busy, too.
About 150 people were present for the opening of the meal in its eighth year, after a blessing by Lt. Richard Wang of the Salvation Army. The group held hands in a huge circle in the parking lot as he prayed for blessings to the place, the food and the people.
The line snaked its way inside, as volunteers served mashed potatoes, turkey, vegetables, rolls, cranberry sauce and gravy.
Conversation filled the room, as did music from the performers.
The crowd was drawn by tradition, media coverage and the tradition of the place. Others came purely by word of mouth.
Joey Valenzuda and his wife, Chaniece Valenzuda, were out by the Firestone Complete Auto Care when a friend stopped by and asked if they’d heard about the free meal. The fundraising portion of the event was voluntary.
Joey Valenzuda said they piled into the already-full van and rode the mile and a half to the restaurant.
Their evaluation was simple.
“I love it,” said Chaniece Valenzuda.
“It was a very welcome meal,” Joey Valenzuda said.
The meal makers were in the kitchen, sweating from the temperature and the pressure.
Hoku Kekahuna was one of the chefs making sure the crowd of holiday-goers was fed.
He was using seven pots and two ranges to prepare 350 pounds of potatoes.
“And I’m the potato man, so I should know,” he said.
He was sweating, both from the heat and the delay. Once he strained them out he mashed them, added butter and seasonings and prepared them for service.
“Potatoes go fast,” he said, “and they’re going fast.”
They came close to running out at one point, but one of the trays appeared, as if by magic, when needed.
Schmitt said they had a good proportion of volunteers to guests, as things moved smoothly throughout the day.
Two of the people who had been part of it since the beginning are seeing the possible end of their tenure.
Jackie Rey, the daughter of the business owners after whom it was named, and Marlie Mandaquit, daughter of the head cook, are seniors in high school and about to graduate.
“We’ll still be able to make it,” Mandaquit said, when her friend said there was a chance that they’d leave the area for college and miss out on future meals.
“I don’t know about that,” Rey said, meaning college can change things.
The 17-year-olds started at the beginning of the Thanksgiving event and have worked every year since.
“It will be kind of sad,” Rey said, if they missed future dinners.