Article by Mark Malone – Published on: May 8, 2020
Coaches in the Kent Athletic Youth Organization have traded boxing gloves for oven mitts.
The Kent Athletic Youth Organization boxing club is teaming with Mercato Fresh grocery store and FreeHelpCK to feed the hungry during the COVID-19 pandemic. Pictured, from left, are Mercato co-owners Jonathan Reaume and Marc Romualdi, KAYO coaches Rebecca D’Agostin and Floyd Porter (with Landen Willimot), and FreeHelpCK’s Geri Hughson and Tracy Havens. Photo taken in Chatham, Ont., on Thursday, May 7, 2020. Mark Malone/Chatham Daily News/Postmedia Network
Coaches in the Kent Athletic Youth Organization have traded boxing gloves for oven mitts.
Their gym is shuttered, so they’re staying busy by teaming with Mercato Fresh grocery store and FreeHelpCK to feed the hungry during the COVID-19 pandemic.
“We can’t work out – we can’t do anything – so we thought let’s help out the community,” KAYO manager Floyd Porter said.
Coach and boxer Rebecca D’Agostin is spearheading the project that began last week with barbecue chicken dinners. Geri Tong and Chris Nesbitt are also supplying food.
The menu Thursday included spaghetti with meat sauce, salad, dinner rolls and dessert.
“Floyd and I both love cooking, so I thought I’d utilize that,” D’Agostin said. “My idea was healthy, hearty, home-cooked meals.”
Since she can’t be in the ring during the pandemic, being in the kitchen lets her focus on a different kind of battle.
“I really love the idea of a fight against hunger,” D’Agostin said.
Volunteers from FreeHelpCK deliver the food weekly to the homeless and shut-ins.
Mercato Fresh provides the meat. Porter chooses the meal based on the weekly sales, then store co-owners Marc Romualdi and Jonathan Reaume give an extra discount.
“We’ll continue to do this until the pandemic is over – if it’s a month, two months, three months, whatever the pandemic is,” Porter said.
Once it’s done, KAYO will resume providing food to the WISH Centre once or twice a month with help from Mercato.
