The longing to feast on turkey with family is made possible with many food baskets from churches, yet many still miss this pleasurable privilege. This is why Word in Action Ministries, which sprouted in 2009 with its feeding ministry, chose to host Thanksgiving Dinner on Thanksgiving Day that year. Going from serving 158 meals our first year to over 700 last year has been exciting.
The first year we served anyone who wanted to come at noon on Thanksgiving Day, but after discovering no other meals were held in the county on the holiday itself, we decided to expand by delivering to the entire county. The elderly and disabled’s meals are delivered while others may dine-in or call for carry-outs. For three of the years, we also treated employees at Marvin’s Food Store and Wal-Mart who were setting up for Black Friday.
Aiming to serve a feast rather than restaurant-size portions, our guests gobble turkey, mashed potatoes, gravy, dressing, yams, corn, green bean casserole, cranberry sauce, deviled eggs, a roll, and a pumpkin dessert. Local high school classes have lightened our load by baking most of our desserts ahead of time recently.
Our vegetables are already ordered, thanks to Marvin’s Food Store in Baxter who approached us our second year offering to order food for us by the pallet at great discounts. Items like stuffing and cranberry sauce are ordered closer to time when they go on sale. Last minute purchases include potatoes, butter, rolls, pies, and whipped topping.
November kicks off the creation of a flyer containing dates and times for our dinner, carry-outs, and delivery orders. Flyers will be passed out and the hunt for sales will continue. Food will be purchased, gathered, and stored in the foyer and hallways of our church temporarily. All oven-roasters will be checked and counted as we use them all year-round yet can only purchase during the holiday season. One year we received donated ones from a generous volunteer posting our need on Facebook. Inspections of other kitchen appliances and knives are also completed.
Cleaning out refrigerators for much-needed storage the week before Thanksgiving is a definite requirement. A mental assessment of our lists is done by my husband and myself to see if anything has been left out. As strange as it seems, we don’t spend time looking for volunteers for God taught us right off the bat to trust Him. A few core volunteers let us know they want to help, I field calls from other interested volunteers, and then unexpected ones show up Thanksgiving Day, as if arriving right on cue in a play. It’s an awesome experience.
Equally delightful is Thanksgiving week. Final touches are being made in the dessert department, last-minute purchases, and beginning food prep is going on. My job is to take orders for Thanksgiving meals and type them on my computer. A special lady puts the routes together the night before. One thing we’ve learned is many lonely elderly in housing projects don’t want to order until the last-minute believing someone will invite them to dinner or come see them. Finally, they’ll order for a son or daughter and themselves, and be tickled to have a Thanksgiving dinner without the hassle. If you ever wanted to see grateful, you’d have to take the orders or deliver the meals for no words can describe such emotion.
Early Thanksgiving Day, usually around 5:30, Pastor Steve unlocks the church doors, starts filling pans with water to boil and sets items in their stations. Let the cooking begin! By 9:30, volunteers set up serving lines with sackers at the end to begin preparing for deliveries.
An experienced volunteer will advise the placement of the food so appropriate quantities sit for everything to fit without getting soggy or spilling. Another volunteer emerges carrying sacks to appropriate tables for each town. Drivers grab, load, and disappear as quickly as they appeared.
“Don’t forget the desserts and rolls sacked separately in another room, drivers!”
Round two begins. Volunteers continue the process making carry-outs for those picking up orders at 11:00. Meanwhile, the kitchen bustles with opening more cans, washing pans, and making more food. Laughter fills the air and stress doesn’t exist among those running to and fro. We like to call it organized chaos.
Last round. Final green bean casseroles are pulled from the oven for those dining in. Everyone is served, and all get a chance to relax for a bit while fellowshipping with the less fortunate as we request volunteers to sit among them to dine. After guests leave, what volunteers aren’t running off to their own Thanksgiving plans will remain to put up food and clean.
Depending on the amount of volunteers, my husband and I arrive home anywhere from 2-4:00. More than tired, we rest sharing the good things God did during the day that each other didn’t see, followed by meditating on how fifty volunteers trickle in and out like a well-oiled machine without a human coordinator, and how God provides in His own mysterious way. This takes longer to digest than the Thanksgiving dinner.
Any thoughts you want to share, or would you prefer to peel 1,000 lbs. of potatoes?
Trinity Worship Center, Baxter Springs, Kansas Previous Thanksgiving Day Celebrations
© 2015, Jena Fellers. All rights reserved.
jena says
Happy Thanksgiving to you, too, Robin! It’s definitely hard to explain what goes on and the feeling in the air, isn’t it? I’m assuming your whole family will be helping again this year. Until then…
Robin Dixon says
Jena!
This is one of the most exciting days of the year, and to be a volunteer is such an honor! I have watched this miracle happen for several years now and those who come to help and those who come to eat are all especially blessed! Happy Thanksgiving!
Pastor Robin