With plenty of volunteers on hand, the annual Community Thanksgiving Dinner in Escalon went off smoothly, as diners arrived around 11:30 a.m. on Thursday, Nov. 27 to share the holiday.
A longstanding outreach of the Escalon Ministerial Association, the effort has been coordinated through Heritage Church of Escalon the last couple of years. Food, prepared by students in the Culinary Arts Program at the Institute of Technology in Modesto, is served fresh and hot and includes all the traditional Thanksgiving fare, from turkey and mashed potatoes to stuffing and pumpkin pie.
Diners this year were greeted by a welcoming committee as they entered the Escalon Community Center and, once seated, had their orders taken by young volunteers, who then delivered the plates to them. Whether you wanted white meat only, extra gravy, no stuffing or extra whipped cream on your pumpkin pie, the volunteers made sure your order was filled correctly.
Organizers said the goal the past couple of years has been to bring people together for the meal at the Community Center, with just a few home delivered meals going out to those who are elderly, ill or shut in and have no way to get to the community dinner.
Others on hand this year spent some time moving from table to table to fill the role of visitors, taking time exchange pleasantries with diners and, in the case of someone eating alone, sitting down with them to visit while they ate.
“I think we had a fairly good showing; we had a few people that were signed up to simply greet and to visit, which I think was a really nice addition this year,” said Heritage Church youth pastor Casey Ryan. “There was hardly anybody that was sitting alone unless they really chose to sit alone.”
He estimated well over 100 people joined in for the meal, including some families, some older people, and some that didn’t have family in the area for the holiday.
“I’m pleased with the ways things turned out, there were a lot of people who came and got fed,” he added.
Friends Kira Vessels and Brooklyn Ormonde, both of whom attend Heritage, were on either side of friend Taylor Gestl, who was visiting from Southern California for the holiday. She was putting the whipped cream on the pieces of pumpkin pie Vessels and Ormonde were slicing, getting the desserts prepped for delivery. In the kitchen, the assembly line style of food servers expertly scooped up the potatoes and stuffing, adding it to plates piled high with turkey.
Many of the volunteers for the day were the families of Heritage Church, with kids filling a variety of roles and sharing smiles with diners.
“I think they really enjoy it and I think that the guests really enjoy actually having them take their orders,” Ryan noted of getting the kids involved in service work at a young age. “You never know what a kid is going to say and it kind of makes you smile when you see them trying to be all professional and get the order right; I think it’s fun.”
Diners could take their leftovers home if they couldn’t finish their whole plate and Ryan said any food remaining also goes to good use, either provided to the Modesto Gospel Mission or the nearby Oakdale Rescue Mission.
For her part, 11-year-old Raelyn Ryan couldn’t stop smiling, even as she cleared away the dirty dishes from tables when diners were finished eating.
“I just like helping people get their food because I see the joy that it brings them,” the sixth grader said. “I feel like it’s just helping others in need and it brings me happiness.”
