Martial Arts Family Fitness Thanksgiving ‘Adopt-a-Family’ Program

Martial Arts Family Fitness, a family-owned and operated school dedicated to improving lives through martial arts, announced today that in the spirit of the upcoming Thanksgiving holiday it will coordinate an Adopt-a-Family program. Students and staff of the school will work together to feed less fortunate families in the Santa Barbara area as part of a national project called the “Thanksgiving Basket Brigade.”

“For many of us, Thanksgiving is a very special time of the year, a time for family and a time to express gratitude” said Dave Wheaton, co-owner and Chief Instructor of Martial Arts Family Fitness. “The current economic situation has adversely affected many families, and we are trying to do something good. We as a school and a business certainly have a lot to be grateful for, and part of who we are is to give thanks and share in our good fortune.”

The Adopt-a-Family program will allow students, staff and their families to donate money that will be used to purchase food, which in turn will be used to assemble food baskets. Students will assemble the baskets while youth students will create greeting cards that will be part of the basket. Students and staff will then distribute the baskets to families that have been identified. Donations start at $25, however a donation of $50 fills the basket with a complete dinner and a family is adopted. The basket will include all the makings of a delicious Thanksgiving dinner, including turkey, stuffing, vegetables, sweet potatoes, dinner rolls, pie and apple cider.

“It is important to us, as health professionals and members of this great community, to help others,” added Melodee Meyer, co-owner of Martial Arts Family Fitness. “When we were thinking of ways to help those not as fortunate we immediately thought of a traditional, healthy meal. It is important to me, personally, to ensure that everyone we are able to help enjoy a healthy meal. We are reaching to local businesses to see where can get the freshest items to include in these baskets.”

“All baskets will be assembled at our school on Saturday, November 20,” added Mr. Wheaton. “We have canceled all martial arts classes on this day so that we can have as much participation as possible in all facets, from assembly to delivery of the baskets. Our mission is to deliver healthy and delicious Thanksgiving dinners to a minimum of 50 families between Carpinteria and Isla Vista.”

Martial Arts Family Fitness is an award winning school that teaches martial arts and fitness classes to adults and children, specializing in children’s life skills, youth leadership and family fitness. For information on Martial Arts Family Fitness visit online or call 805.963.6233.