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By Colin Mixson
Brooklyn Daily
Not only does El Caribe have a big heart, it has the best stuffing in town, patrons say.
The El Caribe Country Club in Mill Island received thousands of Hurricane Sandy victims from Coney Island on Thanksgiving for an all-expenses-paid feast, but all the turkey, corn bread, and sweet potatoes were just asides to the real treat — the stuffing!
“I am still talking about the stuffing,” said Norma Lawrence of Coney Island. “After El Caribe, I had dinner with my relatives in Queens and I was ranting and raving about the stuffing — their stuffing was nowhere near as good.”
The kind-hearted country club had enough turkey and Thanksgiving fare for 3,000 diners, and some leftovers were sent to the MCU Stadium in Coney Island, where they were distributed to other Brooklynites in need.
“Thanksgiving is one of the few days we’re closed so we can spend time with our own families,” said El Caribe manager Terrence Kenniff. “But when the mayor reached out and asked us to host this dinner, we jumped at the chance. A dinner like this should be a nice lift to people who are really hurting right now.”
The massive meal capped off a week of goodwill in Brooklyn. Barclays Center workers celebrated Thanksgiving on Monday by providing Thanksgiving dinner to 100 Hurricane Sandy victims inside the arena’s 40–40 club.
Over in Fort Greene, Councilwoman Letitia James got together with New York Giants defensive tackle Shaun Rogers to hand out a truckload of Thanksgiving turkeys to residents of the Ingersoll, Whitman, and Farragut houses.
Borough President Markowitz joined the turkey trot as well: he and his friends from Fairway Market handed out scores of free birds on the steps of Borough Hall.
Reach reporter Colin MIxson at cmixson@cnglocal.com or by calling (718) 260-4514.