There's a place for everyone at community Thanksgiving dinner

By RACHEL WEDDIG

Journal Staff Writer

NEW ULM -- In the minds of some, there isn't a better way to spend Thanksgiving dinner than helping and serving others.

People such as Jim and Anita Thomas of New Ulm, who invited friends over for their Thanksgiving dinner 16 years ago because many townspeople were stranded as the result of a snowstorm. Now the Thomas's invite the entire community to dinner.

"After we invited our friends over to dinner, we knew we wanted to expand it to the entire community," Anita said. "At first we focused it on people who couldn't afford a dinner and then realized there were needs other than just financial."

This is the 15th year that the Thomases, along with the Community Friends volunteers, have prepared a Thanksgiving dinner. The Community Friends served the dinner to hundreds from 11:15 a.m. to 1:30 p.m. at St. Mary's Catholic Church.

Wednesday night a group of about 30-50 people prepared some of the food, by peeling potatoes and cutting the squash. Then, Thursday morning, around 4 a.m., Jim, along with a crew of six volunteers, prepared and cooked the turkeys at St. Mary's and Turner Hall.

Anita said this year's Thanksgiving meal served around 800 people, which included 150 take-out dinners to those who couldn't make it to the church.

After the first Thanksgiving dinner, the dinner was opened up to anyone who didn't have someone to share Thanksgiving dinner with, people who didn't feel up to cooking and family groups who wanted to get together and not worry about cooking and cleaning.

Thomas said around 160 families of volunteers donate their time each year. The Community Friends help prepare the dinners, serve the dinners and clean-up afterwards.

Community Friends volunteer Don Brand, isn't a stranger to volunteer work. Along with the Thanksgiving dinner, he helps with Meals on Wheels and other service organizations. Brand helped out with the dinner all day. He started at 9 a.m. and was one of the last ones to leave around 3:30 p.m.

"Since the dinners have started I've always volunteered," Brand said. "I volunteer for dishwashing because usually that's the last job to get filled. It's good community service."

Anita and Jim are happy to put on the dinner for the townspeople.

"I think the community would be devastated if we didn't offer this dinner," Anita said. "We get calls starting in October from people wanting to know if we're going to offer the dinner."

Anita said the volunteers prepared 28 turkeys, 300 pounds of squash, and 300-400 pounds of potatoes for the dinner, which includes all the traditional fixing such as turkey, mashed potatoes with gravy, dinner rolls, corn, squash and pumpkin pie.

The only downside to the project, Anita said, is that she and Jim don't really get a chance to visit with the people in the dining room, as they are busing, preparing plates and working behind the scenes.

"We don't get out in the dining room much, but our volunteers tell us the people really enjoy it," Anita said. "The socialization is important -- if it's not your family, you can enjoy a meal with a community family."

Anita said the community has been very gracious with their donations and every year the Community Friends receive enough money to pay for the next Thanksgiving dinner.

"The people have donated very generously -- some people who don't even come to the dinner, send us money," Anita said. "The community has supported us very well."

Margie Hoffman and Eleanor Grossmann volunteered during the morning and later joined their family members for dinner. The family gathered from Blaine, Hanska, Isanti, New Ulm, St. James, and Searles to attend the dinner. Family member Ione Grossman, said her husband had just gotten out of the hospital and she hadn't had time to prepare a Thanksgiving meal. She added that Thursday was her birthday, and it was a nice present not having to clean up after eating a big Thanksgiving dinner.