Nearly 1,249 Henry County residents received a traditional dinner on Thanksgiving because more than 200 caring volunteers gave up part of their Thanksgiving Day to help. The planning committee worked closely with Compass Health to reach homeless this year and 50 meals were delivered to homeless in the area.
“We panicked and worried we wouldn’t have enough turkey this year but, we had plenty of food and volunteers stepped up to provide pies and turkeys. Volunteers also showed up to cut pies, wash pots and pans, deliver meals, cook, and help serve food into the take-out containers. Because of donations of pies, turkeys, money, and time, we were able to provide a traditional Thanksgiving dinner to those who might have gone without,” exclaimed Eileen Parks who was the “head” cook for the event again this year.
“A special thanks goes to the Knights of Columbus from Holy Rosary who carved the turkeys the day before Thanksgiving. They are masters at carving turkeys and we couldn’t do the dinner without them,” continued Parks. In addition, Mark Dietz, owner of Dietz Family Buffet donated 1200 rolls and, John French, Manager of Price Cutter donated the grocery bags.
“We couldn’t do this Thanksgiving event without Scott Brooks and his co-workers. They take the reservations and calls from volunteers. Then Scott develops the delivery routes for the drivers,” shared Lisa Wallace.
The Community Turkey Talker committee is pleased to have the continued support of the Clinton Senior Center to provide their facility to cook and stage the meal deliveries. Kathy Wilson, Clinton Senior Center Director and Rosa Engeldorf, head cook at the Senior Center, and Lindyle Cox were instrumental to the success of this event. A special thanks to Elaine Paxton, Chairman of the Care Connection Board, who helped coordinate the logistics of the event. We couldn’t prepare the food and meals for more than 1,200 without the continued help of Care Connection and the Clinton Senior Center. Thanks to Clinton’s Eagles Lodge and the work of David Albertson, the eat-in Thanksgiving dinner was a success, serving approximately 175 this year.
When everyone does their part, it makes the event run smoothly. The Daily Democrat, Kayo, and KDKD along with area churches, the Senior Center, and the Samaritan Center help get the word out to find volunteers and to let residents know about the Thanksgiving event.
The Community Turkey Talker Committee includes Eileen Parks, Scott Brooks, Tonya Dody, Boann Parks, David Albertson, and Lisa Wallace.
Want to help plan our event next year? Help us with publicity, writing thank you notes, or recruiting key volunteers. We welcome newcomers to the committee. Call Scott Brooks at 660-885-6921 or Lisa Wallace at 660-492-2575 to get involved.
