The final menu consisted of Sweet Potatoes, Green Bean Casserole, Stuffing, and Mac + Cheese, in addition to ham and mashed potatoes that would be catered in from a local restaurant. (Our Long Branch team wanted to emphasize that all menu dishes were approved beforehand by their Speech Department!)

But as we have said many times, therapy does not just consist of clinical groups inside of a rehab setting. Preparing for this event meant conducting OT therapy sessions and outings in the community where the clients were provided with shopping lists and put in charge of collecting the food items required to make their dishes. On the big morning of the event, the OT therapists and participating clients showed up at the residential group homes to take over the kitchens and cook the meals together, completing many tasks that targeted and enhanced the clients’ fine motor skills such as mixing, cutting, can-opening, pouring, etc.

Once the meals were wrapped up to take to the day program, there was only one thing left to do: EAT! After setting the table, the clients were served and waited on by the staff; this allowed the clients the opportunity to speak up for themselves to request the side dishes they wanted to have (we sneak in therapy like perfectly cooked vegetables – you don’t even know you’re eating them but you’re still getting all the nutrition). And just the way all Thanksgivings should end – and this is a direct quote from a therapist – everyone was “stuffed to the max.”

Food is meant to be shared, period. No one should ever have to eat alone. The reality is that not everyone has a family or friends to spend the holidays with. At Universal, we are very clear that regardless of outside circumstances, the clients will always have a family here, with us. On a day dedicated to giving gratitude and thanks, we think that’s something worth celebrating.