Stroll_N Times 11/16/10 10:03 AM Page 19
The Box is the great equalizer on Nantucket, unless you happen to be Jimmy Buffet who stops in for an occasional impromptu performance. The Box is also a virtual talent show of acts around the region ranging from local favorite Spooky Daly Pride to national sensation G. Love and Special Sauce. But there is more to the Box than simply having fun; the owners have involved themselves in charitable causes around the island,
Packy, John and Rocky
quietly and without fanfare. Following the untimely passing of
Park and Recreation, Meals on Wheels, Big Brothers Big Sisters,
Chicken Box bartender Robert Harris, Rocky began volunteering
Saltmarsh Senior Center and several others benefit from a day
with the organization that served Harris during his illness, Meals
of hanging ten. “Mostly we try to take care of the elderly and the
on Wheels. He remembers, “[Harris] used to say ‘if you’re not
kids,” says Rocky of the Box’s target charities. While maintaining
giving, you’re taking’...it really resonated with me.” Eight years
its gritty charm, minor renovations to the Chicken Box enabled
later, Rocky continues to deliver food and good company to the
the three owners to open its doors to new segments of the
elderly and home-bound, and Meals on Wheels has since
Nantucket community. “We made the place a little more
become a primary beneficiary of Chicken Box events. Rocky also
palatable for people,” Jordin says.“We started having functions
serves on the board of S.T.A.R., a program providing sports and
there that were out of the normal realm of the Chicken Box.”
activities for children with disabilities.
Unimaginable in Seaweed’s days, the Box transforms into a theater where youth productions like Seaside Shakespeare perform.
In 2001, Jordin founded the Ozone Surf Classic in memory of fallen surfer and friend David Ozias. The event has become a
The Box’s brain trust is not content to rest on the work of their
Nantucket holiday of sorts, drawing hundreds of athletes and
predecessors. Using the Nantucket institution to serve the
spectators to the shores of Cisco Beach each July. With the help
community in whatever ways possible, John, Rocky and Packy
of other Nantucket sponsors, Jordin and the Chicken Box raise
continue to build upon the work of the previous owners and
monies for a slew of island charities. The Boys and Girls Club,
literally think outside the Box.
N magazine | 19