Golfers cooking 'green' for needy

CLEARWATER, FL -- O'Neal Larkin feels blessed in his life. He has a family who loves him and had a fulfilling career including time in the military. He also has a great group of golfing buddies. What more could one ask for? Larkin said, for him it was to help others.

"Growing up here (Clearwater) seeing hardship here and then when I went in the military and seeing hardship especially with children I wanted to do something."

So, he had an idea and approached his 13 golfing buddies.

"It was 1998, seven years ago. We decided rather than juts playing golf and doing other things we decided to do something for the community."

They initially thought about adopting a family.

"My wife said to me why don't you guys just do a little Thanksgiving dinner and I will help you."

The Community Golfers was then born.

"Our first year we were able to hustle enough money out of our pocket and we fed 154 people. Last year it was 1002. This year I do not know what the count is."

Larkin said they anticipated more people this year because of the state of the economy. But, he said there were also more volunteers. For him it proves a community cares.

"I am very proud of it."

The hundreds of people gathered at the Marshall Center were given styrofoam boxes filled with food, from turkey to greens. Larkin said he is already thinking about what more he can do to help.

"I think you can look at it and say what I can I do better next year. I don't thank that one who is involved in something like this can describe it because I honestly believe these things come together strictly as the work of God."