Volunteers needed for 69th Chicken Broil

Community Resource Center board member Anita Herman will be highlighting different Manchester nonprofits monthly for the Mirror. This month is the Chicken Broil and its need for volunteers! 

by Anita Herman

As indicated by Jeff Mann (co-chair), it takes several hundred volunteers to generate the Annual Manchester Chicken Broil. Many of these helping hands have already begun working behind the scenes on the start-up tasks. Other “Broil” veterans are in line to assume their familiar roles on Saturday, July 16. But, as this edition goes to press, more volunteers are needed.

For example, there is a need for box builders! Seven thousand carry-out chicken dinners will require having seven thousand dinner boxes. Folding these cardboard carriers will begin on Friday and then again on Saturday morning and will continue until the last dinner is sold. Many hands will make light of this work; folks are invited to bring a couple of friends and volunteer together.   

If one isn’t into making boxes, volunteers will be needed to fill the boxes and distribute them to hungry patrons. Both the on-field serving line and the take-out line are staffed by a well-orchestrated assembly of workers. Each volunteer, whether adding a dinner roll to the meal or handing the meal off to an awaiting customer, is an important link in the steady moving chain of delivery.

“The Broil” also needs radish meisters. These are the folks who prepare the radishes included with each meal. Gloves, aprons, and small knives are provided. Volunteers simply need to wear comfortable shoes, arrive by 3pm, and stand ready to clean and trim these deliciously pungent red roots.  

There are many other things one can do to help make the 69th Manchester Chicken Broil a success: serve as a table host/hostess, carry heavy pots of cooked chicken to the food station, loan the on-field announcer a bunch of corny chicken jokes to tell, lend your expertise in marketing or advertising, etc. Many other jobs are available as well. Volunteering is fun as well as fulfilling. Being a part of this important fundraising endeavor is an uplifting experience. Ask to join a friend who is already committed to participating. 

The Manchester Chicken Broil needs men and women of various ages and abilities to lend a hand. For more information, and to volunteer, visit manchesterchickenbroil.com or email manchesterchickenbroil@gmail.com.

For as little as $1 a month, you can keep Manchester-focused news coverage alive.

by Sara Swanson

Sara Swanson is an editor, writer and founder of the Manchester Mirror.