Volunteers, diners look forward to annual dinner
A large group of Marion volunteers will roll out of bed Thursday morning to gather at Marion Middle School.
There, they do jobs like peel 120 pounds of potatoes, heat 15 gallons of green beans, prepare six large pans of stuffing, and carve 12 large turkeys ranging in the 20-plus pound range.
And by noon that day, they are ready to feed 250 to 300 people.
This same scenario occurs every Thanksgiving Day in Marion during the annual Community Thanksgiving Dinner. Thursday will mark the 13th year for the event, sponsored by the Marion Ministerial Alliance. Money raised each year by donation goes toward the alliance's Helping Hands Fund.
Serving begins at noon and lasts until 1:30 p.m. Those attending are asked to use the southwest door entrance off the parking lot. Handicap accessible parking also is available.
Although dinner is served at noon, the day begins at 7 a.m. as volunteers arrive. Some bring in turkeys they baked at home. Some are there to carve turkeys. Others are there to peel potatoes and work on other parts of the traditional dinner. Others show up to wrap real silverware — not plastic forks and spoons — and perform other necessary jobs.
"It's a lot of work, but it's a festive time," explained long-time volunteer Phyllis Kreutziger. "People have told us we're having way too much fun. You should hear the laughter around 8:30 and 9 o'clock in the morning."
Kreutziger, who has been involved in the event for 12 years, said the annual meal is a means for churches to minister to community members. Although Kreutziger didn't participate the first year, once she got started she was hooked.
"It's one of the best committees I've ever been on. Once you've been on it you stay on it," the Marion woman said. "It's one of the most rewarding things I've ever participated in."
The committee includes approximately 10 volunteers representing each Marion church involved in the ministerial alliance, with a local minister heading up the event two years in a row.
The committee meets four times a year, Kreutziger said. Three meetings involve making plans prior to the event, while the fourth is a wrap-up and review meeting.
The success of the entire event is dependent on the work of volunteers. Individuals from each church not only come in Thanksgiving morning to prepare the meal, but other church members bring 15 to 20 large salads, 25 to 30 pies and 30 to 35 dozen rolls. Last year, they ran out of dinner rolls.
"Then a bunch of rolls from Subway in Hillsboro showed up," Kreutziger said. "Our prayers were answered."
No potential volunteer will be turned away. Anyone interested in volunteering for a day of fun and fellowship is encouraged to attend, she said. "There are plenty of jobs," Kreutziger said. "We also have people who prepare 50 or more carry-out meals and folks who deliver them." Individuals planning on attend the free meal are asked to call and make reservations ahead of time; however, no one is ever turned away.
"We depend on reservations so we know how much to make," Kreutziger explained. "But we know some people will decide to come at the last minute. If the weather is bad, we'll have people come here who were planning on going out of town. Sometimes we get visitors from out of town."
Serving winds down around 1:30 p.m. and clean-up begins in earnest.
"The school has always been just super," Kreutziger said. "It's a nice place to have it and people feel more comfortable coming to the school then one church or another."
Although volunteers are tired after putting in hours of work, it's a good feeling.
"My husband and I do this every year," Kreutziger said. "We get so much more out of it than we would if we had just stayed home."
