Seniors share traditional meal

Published 10:34 pm Friday, November 21, 2008

EVERETT — Abas Al-Mamory discovered Thanksgiving.

He was one of 120 kids who ate a traditional, Thanksgiving-style dinner at the Everett Boys &Girls Club on Friday afternoon.

“It was very good, but my favorite part was ice cream,” he said.

For many, it was an opportunity to have a meal their families can’t afford to cook this year. For Al-Mamory, it was his first Thanksgiving dinner ever.

The 7-year-old Everett boy and his family moved to the United States from Iraq less than a year ago.

He has seven brothers and three sisters, most of whom are regulars at the club.

The dinner was cooked and served by volunteers from Washington Oakes retirement center in Everett.

Peg Russell, 80, who lives at the center, said it was a heartwarming experience.

“It’s rewarding, doing something for somebody else,” she said. “Some of these kids come from households that don’t have money for something like this.”

Jean White, 79, also a resident at the center, was in for a few surprises when she was serving the meal.

“The kids were so polite. You wouldn’t really expect that in this day and age,” she said.

White said she served several kids who had a traditional Thanksgiving meal for the first time. “A couple of kids didn’t recognize the food, and I explained to them what turkey was.”

The club is a cultural Petri dish, program director Diana Murphy explained. “We serve low-income families, and many of them are immigrants.”

A lot of these families celebrate holidays differently, Murphy said.

“Despite their cultural differences, kids are really open-minded. We all learn about each other and how to respect each other,” she said.

Still, it takes a lot of work to take everybody’s values into account.

The club serves two different sets of dinners every day — with and without meat, Murphy said.

Al-Mamory doesn’t eat meat because his family’s religious beliefs don’t allow it. But it doesn’t mean he can’t enjoy the traditional Thanksgiving meal. On Friday, he had tofurkey, the vegetarian version of turkey made of tofu.

Al-Mamory said kids at school and at the club always ask him why he can’t eat meat, but he doesn’t mind the questions. He patiently shares his family’s traditions.

Reporter Katya Yefimova: 425-339-3452 or kyefimova@heraldnet.com.