The Day After - Levittown Bar & Grill to Hold Thanksgiving Feast for Utility Workers

The “Thank You” That never Took Place      
Thanksgiving Eve was a busy day, the food prep started at noon and ended close to 2am.  Throughout the day many residents stopped by with donations, news crews came for preparation footage after visiting the Out of State linemen tents well as telephone interviews with other media outlets.  After touching base with my LIPA liaison confirming we were all set and could not wait to feed the masses.   
The Turkeys began cooking at 5am, volunteers started arriving, residents stopped by to bring more desserts.  Then we go THE call from one of the news crews that were with us on Wednesday asking if we had cancelled the event.  He went over to where he shot footage less than 24 hours earlier to interview some of the linemen and found that the tents were removed.  He inquired further and a LIPA representative told him that we cancelled the Thank You dinner and LIPA could not transport the crews to Levittown because there was a conflict of parking a bus in the parking lot.  When the reporter asked where the crews were staying since the tents were removed he was advised that they are now in area hotels but did not know which ones.  I immediately put a call into my LIPA liaison that has gone unanswered.  More news crews showed up and they were very surprised to find no Out of State linemen, they immediately put calls into LIPA that went unanswered.  Later in the day a major network whom I did not contact heard about our situation and called to offer their assistance in finding out where the crews were moved to, they too had no luck.  
On a very positive note, one of the Harp & Hammer patrons approached me and said he knew of a single mom from Long Beach that just moved to Levittown because her home was destroyed by Sandy.  We immediately put food in trays for him to deliver to this new Levittown resident.  We were able to feed quite a few residents that heard our doors would be open.  I have calls into shelters to see if we can donate our cooked donations to them.
       
Chef Karen and Harp & Hammer are very grateful for your generous donations   Murphy Family of Levittown
Chris and Andy of Levittown
A & S Liquor Store
Best yet Market of Hicksville
King Kullen
Johns Farms Produce Department
Stop & Shop
Dortoni Bakery
Johns Farms Meat Deaprtment
Deanna & Mike Chirillo
Marie & Steve Motschmann
Segesta Pizza La Rosa Bros. Foods
Levittown Patch
Minute Man Press
Marianne Meyer
Marie Wheeler
Jen Rudolph
Mari Ward
Sweet Karma Desserts
Dr. Kim O’Connor of Healthcare Corner Chiropractic
Bageltown of Levittown
Our Young Friend Katie
Dylan Gettings
Colin Gettings
Logan Gettings
The Keshaw Family
Tom LaSusa
Joanne Ottoson
Frank Lorelli
Ann Torcivia
Tiera Gonzalez
Lauren Kalikow
Bob Claus
Eric Alfredo
Verizon Fios Channel 1 News
Channel 12 News
Newsday
Fox 5 News  

For pictures from the event, please go to:  http://www.facebook.com/chefkaren.whilt