Letter to the Editor

Community Thanksgiving dinner was success

Friday, December 7, 2018

Dear Editor:

Chalk up our 15th successful Community Thanksgiving meal. This year saw our numbers increase only by 11 but that didn’t diminish the fact that we were excited about serving those 748-689 being delivered into the Sikeston community and outlying ares. This year our excitement included the last minute-response to our pleas for more desserts. We were so blessed with an immediate response to those pleas.

Again, this year included a visit from KFVS-12, who made us look good on the 6 p.m. news. … Also, thanks to my cohort, Mary Carr, her husband Ed and their sons, Jim and Neil, for the fantastic job they did managing the serving line and delivery and to Larry Boyer who plays a big part in the delivery process. Ladies from the American Legion Auxiliary Vickie Wilson and Anne Quick are always on hand to help including printing our tickets we leave with seniors on the “walk rounds.”

The kitchen crew, Eric Stevens, Jimmy Draper and the dishwasher crew, Chris Draper and Dano Estes, kept things rolling right along, managing to conquer the mashed potato dilemma that sometimes stopped the serving line. We still need to figure out when to stop opening cans and filling pans. Also the VFW had new equipment that made our jobs easier and help Tony Hurt and Michael Mcguire keep the serving pans filled. You guys rocked.

Without help from local organizations and churches in the Sikeston community, this meal wouldn’t be possible. The American Legion and Food Giant furnish the turkeys, Lambert’s, Jay’s and Burch Foods donate rolls, The Christian Academy and YMCA have can drives; individuals and organizations in the community donate gift cards or money to help purchase supplies. The VFW donated the use of the building. First Baptist Church allows us the use of big pots and cake pans and their ovens to bake part of the dressing. A special thanks to Shady Acres Church for all you do. May god heap blessings on you.

The volunteers are awesome. They show up on Tuesday to help break white bread, mix it with corn bread, chop celery and onions, de-bone turkeys, cut up hams, help make the dressing, wash dishes, mop up messes. Amy Nantz and daughters Ashley and Erin along with Mckenzie Draper were the lucky ones to mix dressing again this year. Also our thanks to Chester Kordahl who cooks the turkeys for us and manages to get them to the VFW.

The spirit of giving is alive in Sikeston and it includes the youth. That is a blessing in itself. This community always steps up to the plate and answers the call, fills the need. Each of us is her for a reason; we impact each others’ lives in some way, no matter how small. I am so glad to be able to still be a part of this mission, to be able to carry on this endeavor, to be able to share the blessings, to impact people in ways we may never be aware of.

To all of who volunteered or gave donations … thank you. You’re the best. You stay dedicate to this mission year after year. God bless each and every one of you who helped in anyway. You are what makes the meal a success every year, regardless of how many meals are served.

Once again, it was a great Thanksgiving celebration feast. See you next year.

Marlene Stevens, coordinator

Sikeston Community

Thanksgiving Dinner