Locals and visitors share holiday spirit at community meal

By GUY PRIEL

Journal Staff Writer

NEW ULM -- No paper plates or plastic utensils could be found at St. Mary's Catholic Church, as about 600 people from all over the area gathered for the 14th annual community Thanksgiving dinner.

Many of those gathered for the traditional meal were senior citizens, some of who were transported to the church by one of several volunteers.

"It's a great way to spend a holiday while surrounded by friends," Maria Wertzal, 75, of rural New Ulm said. "My family was not able to come this Thanksgiving and I didn't want to have to bother fixing dinner."

Some of her friends from the Gibbon Senior Citizens and New Ulm Senior Citizens were attending the dinner and invited her along, she said.

Still others found it an ideal way to spend the day with the family without having to worry about cooking and cleaning.

"Coming here to eat makes it easier to spend time with the family, since no one has to spend hours in the kitchen," Mark Thompson, 37, of Davenport, Iowa said. "Thanksgiving is all about family, not eating."

Thompson, his wife Stephanie and their children, Allan, 10; Zachary, 7; Jakob, 4; and Patrick, 9 months, were visiting relatives in Courtland.

"It was a surprise visit," he said. "We decided not to tell anyone we were coming, but when we got here they said they hadn't planned anything for dinner. This was a real nice way to spend the day."

Whether enjoying the meal for the 14th time or the first, a good time was had by all, and no one left hungry.

"It helps to have a hearty appetite when you get here, because there is certainly plenty of food," Joseph Paulson of rural Gaylord said. "This is the first year I have come, but it is certainly worth the trip."

Others saw it as the chance to help those who might not have had an opportunity to enjoy a traditional meal, or who might have otherwise been alone, as they gave up their own holiday to volunteer at the church.

"This is a fantastic turnout," Organizer Jim Thomas said. "We had more than last year. We really couldn't do this without the volunteers. They make it all work."

About 150 volunteers, including some children, showed up from all over Brown County to be a part of the event, with many of them showing up at 4 a.m. to begin cooking turkeys, Thomas said.

Some of the volunteers have been helping for years and started when their children were small. Those children have since become volunteers themselves, carrying on the tradition, he said.

"Some of us were here Wednesday night until about 9:30 getting some things prepared in advance," he said. "All the food was cooked from scratch on-site."

Participants were seated as space became available and tables were cleared. They were served, approximately 270 at a time, family style, with volunteers bringing food to the tables.

"We can't seat everyone at once and we serve the food until everyone is done eating or until the food is all gone," he said.

The idea for this started 14 years ago when some friends of Thomas were stranded in a snowstorm. They were on their way out of town and had nothing prepared for themselves to eat.

"We invited them over to dinner," he said. "We then realized that if our friends were in this situation, there must be others facing the same thing every year."

Thomas spent two years away from home during the holidays while he was in the military and it was a very lonely time for him.

"It is a good chance for people to get together so they won't be lonely," he said. "The holidays can be a lonely time when you don't have anyone around you. It has developed from that into a family celebration that gets better every year."

In addition to the meals served on-site at the church, Thomas estimates that about 100 meals were also delivered to homebound residents.

"This is as much of a holiday tradition for us as watching parades and football games and shopping early on Friday," Mark Peterson of rural New Ulm said. "This was the first year for us, but I'm sure we'll be back again next year."