Saugus karate studio offers kickstart to Thanksgiving

SAUGUS – While many people wake up on Thanksgiving morning ready to gorge themselves, Saugus Karate Kung Fu will hold its 21st annual cardio kickboxing class in an effort to beat down hunger.Owner Jason Scaduto says what started out as a joke in 1989 between he and a friend has transformed into a food drive that has donated thousands of non-perishable food items to local charities.Scaduto has been donating the items he’s collected during his free workouts to My Brother’s Table in Lynn during the past five years.”Twenty years ago a member of Saugus Karate Kung Fu and a friend of mine were leaving the studio on the night before Thanksgiving and joked about seeing me in the morning for a workout session,” said Scaduto. “For most people, the last thing on their mind on Thanksgiving Day is working out. My friend didn’t think I would take him seriously, but I did and started a Thanksgiving karate class for members.”Scaduto decided to turn the member-only karate class into a cardio kickboxing class six years ago and also added an additional class for both members and non-members. The only charge to participate in the class is donating a non-perishable food item.”Instead of charging people to take the class, I thought why not do a canned food drive that a lot of hungry people could benefit from,” he said. “The class for non-members allows people to work out at their own intensity level. That way, people don’t feel as intimidated if they haven’t worked out in a while.”Scaduto said the class he holds for non-members has attracted up to 60 guests.”It’s a great way to start Thanksgiving Day,” he said. “People have brought their relatives with them who are visiting from out of town and they’ve had a blast. A morning workout really gets your metabolism revved up and gets you feeling good for the rest of the day.”The workout is a great way to beat holiday weight gain while donating to a worthy organization.”Some people are really dedicated to their workouts and don’t want to get off track just because of a holiday,” he said. “The average American tends to gain between five and seven pounds from Thanksgiving to New Year’s Day, so this is just a good way to start the holiday eating feast the right way.”Scaduto says he will deliver about 12 to 15 boxes full of donated non-perishable food items to My Brother’s Table next Monday.”We have collected thousands of non-perishable food items over the years and My Brother’s Table couldn’t be more appreciative,” said Scaduto.Dianne Kuzia Hills, Executive Director at My Brother’s table, says the non-perishable goods that Scaduto has donated have helped provide the kitchen with considerably more food to cook and serve to the public.It has also contributed toward packages for My Brother’s Table delivery program, which delivers meals and packages to home-bound people.”We get about 75 percent of our donations for the year during the holiday season,” said Hills. “Programs like (Scaduto’s) are extremely helpful and we greatly appreciate his efforts.”Donations for My Brother’s table can be brought directly to My Brother’s Table in Lynn, located at 98 Willow St., or made electronically by visiting www.mybrotherstable.org. Hills says if people want to volunteer during the holiday season, they can check available days and times by visiting My Brother’s Table Facebook page.The cardio kickboxing class open to members and non-members will take place at Saugus Karate Kung Fu at 8 a.m. on Thanksgiving morning. The class for members only will follow at 9 a.m. Saugus Karate Kung Fu is located at 304 Central St., Saugus.