By Sam Gil - Camillus House
MIAMI | Camillus House will celebrate its 60th annual Thanksgiving Day feast at its Norwegian Cruise Line Campus, located at 1603 N.W. Seventh Ave., in Miami’s health district, this Thursday, Nov. 26, 2020 beginning at 10:30 a.m.
In response to the COVID pandemic, Camillus House has taken additional precautions including limiting the number of volunteers to 40 and requiring pre-event COVID testing for those who have signed up to serve. (No additional volunteers are being accepted at this time.)
COVID testing was completed earlier this week for all residential clients.
Building upon its success of keeping infections rates within its client population to under 1%, Camillus House will strictly enforce use of personal protective equipment, social distance, screening and disinfecting throughout the course of the event.
300-plus residential clients are expected to be served in the campus’ dining facility, while another 150 unsheltered homeless women and men are expected to be served under an open-air tent next to the campus (N.W. Seventh Avenue and 15th Street).
Haircuts for both groups of clients will be provided courtesy of Razzeldazzle Barbershop and Miami Give Back, which will also provide a DJ for the event.
“While this year’s circumstances are less than ideal, we are committed to providing our clients with the experience of a home cooked meal,” said Hilda M. Fernandez, Camillus House CEO. “Our plans have been carefully crafted to allow clients and members of our community the opportunity to safely enjoy a time of fellowship as we celebrate this important milestone in our organization’s history.”
Preparations for the feast have been underway, with Camillus House chefs roasting more than 100 turkeys at the Hyatt Regency Downtown, whose chefs have once again offered their larger kitchen to help prepare this year’s feast.
For more information, go to Camillus.org.
