The 2017 Turkey Giveaway at Cheetah West Palm Beach. (Rodriguez Charities)
Cheetah Gentlemen’s Clubs once again will be giving away 3,000 turkeys to families in need for Thanksgiving.
The annual Thanksgiving giveaway of 10- to 14-pound birds begins at 11 a.m. to 2 p.m. on Nov. 19 in club parking lots at 100 Ansin Blvd. in Hallandale Beach; 497 NW 31st Ave., Pompano Beach; and 3342 Shawnee Ave. in West Palm Beach, according to posts on Facebook.
The freebie is one per family on a first-come, first-served basis while supplies last. There is no reason to line up early and the line moves fast, thanks to volunteers from the Hallandale police and fire departments, Broward and Palm Beach County Sheriff’s offices who have helped give out free birds in the past.
The turkeys are being distributed through the nonprofit Rodriguez Charities, founded by Cheetah owner Joe Rodriguez, a former Marine.
“Rodriguez began cleaning and doing odd jobs in bars when he was 10. He dropped out of school in the 10th grade — his only regret, he says — and joined the Marine Corps. When he was discharged in the 1960s, he bought into a club in Elizabeth,” The Miami Hearld reported.
“He realized pretty quickly that the bars that were making money were, as they were called at the time, “Go-Go” bars. He bought into several clubs, then opened one of his own.”
Today, he owns Pure Platinum in Fort Lauderdale and the Cheetah gentlemen’s clubs in Hallandale Beach, Pompano Beach and Palm Beach County.
Last year, his charity distributed 3,000 turkeys at the Hallandale club.
According to Cheetah’s Facebook posts, are “specifically targeting families in need.”
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©2018 the Sun Sentinel (Fort Lauderdale, Fla.)
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