LYNN — George Markos at Brothers Deli continued his 28-year tradition of providing Thanksgiving meals to those in need on Thursday, giving out more than 700 meals to the community.
Markos and a group of volunteers spent the week preparing and handing out Thanksgiving meals to community members.
Prior to the pandemic, Brothers Deli hosted community members inside for the holiday, but last year and this year the donation consisted of to-go meals.
Brothers Deli provided more than 700 Thanksgiving meals on Thursday, but spent the week prior donating around 500 meals to local nonprofits and organizations.
Markos began donating Thanksgiving meals because he wanted to give back to the community and do something good.
Growing up in Tripoli, Greece, Markos said his parents were always giving food to neighbors and family members, even though they didn’t have much for themselves.
Sitting outside and eating lunch or dinner, Markos recalled people coming up to the table and his parents inviting them to sit and eat with them.
“We never had money, we lived in a small village, but we always made sure we had food on the table,” Markos said. “Nobody had enough food back then, we just worked for food… but my father and mother would always give a plate to whoever needed it.”
When he was a child, Markos said he would get upset that his parents were giving away their food, but he quickly realized that feeding those in need made a big difference in someone’s life, which is a mindset he has carried with him ever since.
When his father died around Thanksgiving nearly 30 years ago, Markos said he decided to start donating meals to people because he wanted to do something to thank his father for all the good he did in his life.
“Here I am 28 years later and we’re never going to stop,” Markos said.
The week of Thanksgiving, Markos said he doesn’t get much sleep because he is up all night preparing more than 1,000 meals to be distributed to the community.
Typically, Brothers Deli is filled on Thanksgiving Day with people eating inside, playing music and mingling, which volunteers said is one of the best parts about this tradition.
“Some of these people don’t have family or anyone to spend the holidays with, so this gives them somewhere to go,” Markos said. “Everybody has a story to tell and it feels like home when we are here together. You can meet new people and see old friends, so we definitely miss not being able to do that this year.”
Cathi Campbell started volunteering at Brothers Deli on Thanksgiving eight years ago when she used to work at Lynn District Court. She said that although it’s really nice when the community can come together inside, it’s great that they are still able to offer takeout.
“There are so many people who are really in need,” Campbell said.
Markos doesn’t donate food just during Thanksgiving time, but contributes to organizations, shelters and nonprofits in the community all year long, with the assistance of his core group of volunteers.
“George is just such a wonderful guy and he is such a sweetheart. He is this community and he is so reflective of what it is all about,” Campbell said. “It’s just an amazing sense of community.”
Jerry Powers has been volunteering at the deli on Thanksgiving for 26 years, saying he loves helping out the community.
“We’d rather have people come in and sit down and feed them that way, but being able to give them to-go meals is great,” Powers said.
Michael Defronzo has spent the past four Thanksgivings at Brothers Deli, saying he looks forward to volunteering there because otherwise he would be spending the holiday alone.
“George is a great friend to me and I love spending my day here helping out,” Defronzo said. “I have a big heart and I know what we do here today is so important for a lot of people.”
Markos said he is planning on continuing this Thanksgiving tradition for as long as he lives.
With a passion to cook and help those in need, Markos said he loves spending his time giving back to his community, especially on Thanksgiving, a day when people take time to realize what they are thankful for.
His favorite part about his Thanksgiving meals, Markos said, is the gravy and a slice of moist turkey.
