Giving thanks as a community
Thanksgiving dinner not possible without hundreds of volunteers
10:59 a.m. Thursday, November 22, 2007
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For nearly 40 years, community members have been feeding their fellow neighbors for Thanksgiving.
The Community Thanksgiving Dinner started in 1969 in the East Side Baptist Church. 12 people came for a traditional Thanksgiving turkey with all the trimmings.
From its humble beginnings, the event has grown so much it has to be held at the Ag Hall at the Kansas Expocentre. Organizer Myron Johnson says more than 2,200 people will come to the feast, including Mayor Bill Bunten, who will do the welcome at noon.
This morning hundreds of volunteers will get to work on mashing potatoes and making stuffing.
Volunteers are an integral part of the Community Thanksgiving Dinner.
Community Thanksgiving Dinner
- When: Thursday, Nov. 22, 2007, noon to 3 p.m.
- Where: Ag Hall Kansas Expocentre, 1 Expocentre Drive, Topeka
- Cost: Free
- Age limit: All ages
"It wouldn't happen without about 225 of 'em," Johnson said.
Johnson praised Topeka for its reliable pool of volunteers and its donations.
Some volunteers actually deliver Thanksgiving dinners to those who are unable to leave their homes.
One volunteer is pitching in as a way to feel good about himself and meet friends. Plus, like many people, Zem didn't want to be alone.
"Thanksgiving isn't a time to be alone and worry about your problems. Just come down here and enjoy a good meal and go home and be grateful that you met some good friends down here," said Zem, who said he didn't want to give his full name because people only know him as Zem.
Pulling off a big event like this also takes time. Johnson said planning began in June. Food preparation started on Nov. 17.
"We worked Monday 10 to 12 hours, and on Tuesday did the same," he said. "We de-boned turkeys for a couple of days. And, then we made sweet potatoes. And then we prepared green beans."
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