FARMINGTON -- A request for 12 meals for a family sent a group of volunteers into action at Farmington United Methodist Church.
Jarrod Thomas greeted the family and asked for their choices of pie. He offered traditional Thanksgiving favorites pumpkin and pecan. They also had choices of key lime and apple.
Casey Luther grabbed 12 small servings of cranberry sauce. Bo Hardy held bags with six of the entrees. Gary Noe took care of the servings of pie. They wished the family "Happy Thanksgiving," and prepared for the next family to arrive.
"It's really nice we're able to do something like this for the community for people who are in need," Noe said.
Members of the church are accustomed to serving the community, but this Thanksgiving, Jeff Silva was concerned about people who may not be able to have a Thanksgiving dinner. He worked with his wife, Mary Jane Silva, and friends to organize a new project, a Thanksgiving "Feast-to-Go," for families in Farmington and Prairie Grove.
About 30 volunteers, including church members and other volunteers, arrived Thursday morning to help with last-minute food preparation, cleanup and with serving the families, Mary Jane Silva said. They organized into an assembly line and by 10:30 a.m. had packaged 75 individual entrees with turkey, stuffing, green beans, mashed potatoes and rolls. They packaged slices of pie separately.
"Every time in the past couple of years, whenever I sit down to my Thanksgiving dinner, I think about all those people who may not have that," Jeff Silva said. "It was important to me to offer that on Thanksgiving."
Cargill donated turkeys for the dinners, Silva said. Church members donated money and food.
The idea came from the hundreds of free dinners Doris Spindler, owner of the Burgerland restaurant in Lincoln, provides each year for families to pick up on Thanksgiving Day.
Families reserved meals ahead of time and arrived between 10:30 a.m. and 11:30 a.m. at the church Thursday to pick up their meals. Church members also delivered about a dozen meals, Silva said.
Hardy and his wife, Laura Hardy, of Fayetteville joined the volunteers with their children Tripp, 9, and Evie, 7. They attend Prairie Grove Christian Church, but Laura Hardy, a school nurse in Farmington, wanted to help after hearing about it from members of Farmington United Methodist Church.
"It kicks off what Thanksgiving's about," Bo Hardy said. "I've been blessed with family, a decent job, kids, an awesome wife. It's nice to be able to give back."
Laura Hardy hoped the experience would help her children appreciate what they have and to be aware of the needs other people have, she said.
Tripp waited near an entryway for the families. When the first person arrived to pick up a meal, he waved to volunteers to get ready.
"It's fun that we get to help people for Thanksgiving," said Tripp, who also enjoyed eating a couple of doughnuts provided for volunteers.
Evie enjoyed having time with her parents and brother, she said. She looked forward to seeing her cousins that evening.
"I'm happy that we even have a family so we can spend time with them on Thanksgiving," she said.
Sally Zelenka, a church member from Fayetteville, helped wash dishes, with clean up and with the few children who came with volunteers. Zelenka volunteered "selfishly" because helping makes her feel better, she said.
"We have so many things," Zelenka said. "It's important for you to be looking for what you can be thankful for rather than what is wrong."
Metro on 11/27/2015