Thanksgiving Community Dinner—November 23, 2006

We served approximately 75 people in this first year and reached beyond our congregation to members of our community! Congratulations and thanks to all who were involved in any way! Without you it would not have been such a resounding success—we truly showed we care for our community!

First, we took some donations, and more than 50 families at WCPC offered turkeys, potatoes, desserts, vegetables, rolls, and canned goods!

Some jellied cranberry arrives!

Look at the pies, cakes, rolls!

Next we went to work on Wednesday doing all sorts of prep work with so many helpers! The work of many hands was light!

First, let's peel potatoes—40 lbs of them!

The Zettlemoyer's came ready to setup tables, and found preparing potatoes much more a-"peel"-ing!

Hey, it's early yet! So we're smiling trying to get dinner on the table in time!

More helpers come to peel apples for Waldorf salad, turn frozen peas into a creamy rice/pea/mushroom dish and move tables to there final positions.

Andrew is frying up some bacon for the southern green beans!

More prep work toward our final home-cooked meal, just for you!

Finally! The first 4 turkeys are out of the oven! We baked 6 turkeys on Wednesday and fried 6 as well!

Paul Pinnicks gets to work as one of our master turkey carvers.

Another master carver, Tom Thomas, joins in on the fun!

Judith chops up onions for sautéing, as Ginger, Taylor and Grayson look on for what they might help with. (Ginger ended up sautéing the onions and Taylor and Grayson helped with vegetables.)

So much to do and so many hands to help! David Jones stopped by from the office since the aromas were wafting in and making him hungry—a whole day ahead of schedule!

Injection, injection, what's your function?
Juicing up the bird and making it taste good!
Here Alicia  and Ashton work together to get the turkeys ready for frying.

Frying is ready to begin! The oil is hot, and the turkey is delivered.

Dean assembles the mechanism for lowering the turkey and Alicia looks on.

And in the turkey goes! This one looks like a tight squeeze.

Now we can relax for about 40 minutes.

Now it's Thursday morning, and time for the big dinner!

First, let's get organized and we start to take all our prepared foods out of the refrigerators to get them ready for heating.

More hands making light work and the organizing continues...turkey on the left, then stuffing, then mashed potatoes, then vegetables.

A couple more turkeys to carve, crockpots to fill, cider to heat up...

Oh, and butter and cranberry and jello to get out of the refrigerator.

Men at work! Well at least two of them! Is that guy in the back helping or hindering progress?

Is Paul praying or sleeping on his feet? He's been working hard for 2 days—maybe he was asking for lotion for his dishpan hands!

And in the outer kitchen, there are pies to cut and plate for the dessert table. Jake seems to be in charge and instructing everyone on the best way to do this.

The tables are set and looking lovely under Debbie Cain's direction!

What a welcoming setting.
Looks almost like a postcard!

The centerpieces with a basket of rolls, cranberry and butter on every table made it feel like family gathered around the table.

The serving line is all ready. So it must be time to get the food out!

Everything is ready. Now, just add the food!

First, the cornbread and extra rolls.

Pat and Norma Jean start putting things out for serving.

Let's move this down here says Susan.

The dessert table. Enough said.

Making new friends as we wait for they food!

Servers Jerry and Pat take their positions.

And they are off! Starting with turkey and moving through stuffing, mashed potatoes...to desserts!

And then there is cornbread!

And more people to serve. Here's Norma Jean convincing people they really do want it all!

There's always good conversation around a Thanksgiving meal!

Checking things out...