Letter: Community Thanksgiving dinner was a success

Dear Editors:

I am feeling both thankful and a little sad that all the excitement and work on the Community Thanksgiving Dinner is over for another year. Excited, because we served 732 meals; 653 were delivered into the community and surrounding area, and sad because this was the last year Mary and Ed Carr will be helping. It’s been a long run for them, and they both did a great job keeping things rolling in the dining room. Thanks to the two of them for their years of service to this endeavor. They will be missed.

Thanks again to Larry Boyer who plays a big part in the delivery process and to ladies from the American Legion Auxiliary, Vicky Wilson and Anne Quick who played a big part getting those deliveries out the door and 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 Dana Estes, kept things rolling right along, including keeping the mashed potatoes filled! We still need to figure out when to stop opening cans and filling pans! The VFW’s individual steam pans and new wiring made our job a whole lot easier and kept things rolling right along.

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, 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 donates the use of their 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 showed up in droves on Tuesday to help break white bread, mix it with corn bread, chop celery and onions and de-bone 22 turkeys. A few came back on Wednesday to de-bone more 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. Amy’s husband, John came this year and helped by running errands to pick up needed supplies. Also our thanks to Chester Kordahl who cooked 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.

Thanks to Lisa Hicks who takes care of cutting and boxing the desserts. She also helped in other areas this year. Some of you may know her from from the Oaks Center. Just want her to know she is appreciated for all she does. A special thanks to Gabbie Hodgkiss and Tamera Draper who have delivered Morehouse for years, to Kathy Harrington who delivers Haywood City and to Regina Givens who delivers the New Madrid area.

This community always steps up to the plate and answers the call, fills the need. Each of us is here 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 you who volunteered or gave donations … THANK YOU! You’re the best. You stay dedicated to this mission year after year. God Bless each and everyone of you who helped in any way. 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

Community Thanksgiving Dinner

Sikeston, Mo.