Orlando church provides Thanksgiving foods tasting of Latin America and the Caribbean
By Joe Byrnes
November 27, 2024 at 12:20 PM EST
A Central Florida church teamed up with several nonprofits this week to provide about 300 families with Thanksgiving foods full of the flavors of Latino and Caribbean cultures.
Christ the King Episcopal Church -- an Orlando church that serves Azalea Park and surrounding areas -- offered a holiday pantry of choices to celebrate the diversity and unity of its people.
Families could choose between turkey, pork shoulder and ham. More than half chose the pork shoulder, which is used in a traditional Puerto Rican dish.
For the sides, there were the makings of Latino and Caribbean favorites.
"So from choosing the meat to choosing the vegetables, to choosing the side items," said the Rev. José Rodriguez, rector at Christ the King. "Everyone had a bountiful feast, according, you know, to their own traditions and sharing in this new American tradition that's new to them."
Rodriguez says Latino families are part of the fabric of America and he wants to honor those traditions and values.
"[T]he most basic way we can welcome people and make them feel wanted is by providing them food, but not just the food that's left over in our pantry or not the food we want to provide, the food they actually want to eat, food they know how to cook food, that makes them excited," he said.
The church community, including Iglesia Episcopal Jesús de Nazaret, is calling it a "Sangiving event," using a Spanglish term for the holiday that reflects the mixing of cultures.
It was sponsored by the Florida Blue Foundation with help from the Hispanic Federation, the Society of Saint Andrew, AGM University, Aguilar Salud, and Corpus Care, according to a news release from Christ the King church.
Rodriquez said the first holiday pantry of this sort came seven years ago after Hurricane Maria forced many to flee Puerto Rico.
This year, he said, the load was lightened by support from those organizations.
Christ the King Episcopal Church -- an Orlando church that serves Azalea Park and surrounding areas -- offered a holiday pantry of choices to celebrate the diversity and unity of its people.
Families could choose between turkey, pork shoulder and ham. More than half chose the pork shoulder, which is used in a traditional Puerto Rican dish.
For the sides, there were the makings of Latino and Caribbean favorites.
"So from choosing the meat to choosing the vegetables, to choosing the side items," said the Rev. José Rodriguez, rector at Christ the King. "Everyone had a bountiful feast, according, you know, to their own traditions and sharing in this new American tradition that's new to them."
Rodriguez says Latino families are part of the fabric of America and he wants to honor those traditions and values.
"[T]he most basic way we can welcome people and make them feel wanted is by providing them food, but not just the food that's left over in our pantry or not the food we want to provide, the food they actually want to eat, food they know how to cook food, that makes them excited," he said.
The church community, including Iglesia Episcopal Jesús de Nazaret, is calling it a "Sangiving event," using a Spanglish term for the holiday that reflects the mixing of cultures.
It was sponsored by the Florida Blue Foundation with help from the Hispanic Federation, the Society of Saint Andrew, AGM University, Aguilar Salud, and Corpus Care, according to a news release from Christ the King church.
Rodriquez said the first holiday pantry of this sort came seven years ago after Hurricane Maria forced many to flee Puerto Rico.
This year, he said, the load was lightened by support from those organizations.