The following is a press release issued by the Fort Bragg Presbyterian Church:
For the 27th consecutive year, the Fort Bragg Presbyterian Church hosted the Community Thanksgiving Dinner, providing nearly 1,200 free meals to Mendocino coast residents. This year saw the welcome return to in-person dining after three years of “distancing” due to the COVID-19 pandemic.
Around half of the 1,200 meals provided were delivered along the coast, from Albion to Westport, by 22 two-person delivery teams. Many meals were either picked up by coast residents, curbside at the church, or enjoyed in the festively-decorated dining room. And others were distributed at designated sites along the coast, so that those without an address for home delivery and without transportation to the church could still receive a meal.
Numerous agencies played a vital role in the distribution process. The Redwood Coast Senior Center Meals on Wheels program, Community Care Management, Andersson Care, Parents and Friends, Inc., and Adventist Health all contributed in one or more ways—by spreading the word, encouraging their clients to reserve a meal, creating a client contact spreadsheet, and even delivering meals themselves. These agency partners, along with all the other care agencies and nonprofits in the Fort Bragg and Mendocino area who posted the event information and encouraged their clients to request a dinner, helped ensure that everyone who wanted a meal on Thanksgiving received one.
“…I appreciate very much the Thanksgiving meal you offered and gifted. Thank you for your thoughtfulness, generosity, kindness, welcomeness. Thank you to all those that contributed their time & heartfelt selves to this beautiful day for the people,” wrote one recipient.
Returning to helm the kitchen was Lynn Derrick (aka Queenie). She was again assisted by veteran Chief Steward Scott Shepley. The team adeptly managed all the moving parts of the kitchen portion of the event, and, along with dozens of other volunteers, who mashed and carved and sliced and scooped, managed to prepare more than a thousand delicious and nutritious meals.
“I feel so privileged to be a part of the Community Thanksgiving Dinner. The opportunity to give back to my community in a tangible and personal way makes my Thanksgiving feel so special,” said one volunteer.
The Community Thanksgiving Dinner is entirely a volunteer effort, with 143 volunteers this year generously donating their time and talents in a wide variety of ways. Duties included planning, procuring, publicizing, cooking, decorating, packaging, serving, cleaning, delivering, directing traffic, and fulfilling curbside pickups. New this year was the role some volunteers took on as leaders for their particular volunteer groups, a change that will allow the event to continue—and grow—sustainably.
“It was my great honor to work with such a dedicated group of volunteers—people who have for years given of their Thanksgiving holiday to prepare, serve, and deliver meals to those in their community,” said Kathy Hart, who co-directed the event with Printha Worthen this year. “The most touching act was the volunteer who asked if there was anything else we needed, and then proceeded to put in an additional four hours on the computer to create driver delivery route sheets. A special thank you to all our ‘people managers,’ who took on extra responsibility to support our team of volunteers, and made it seem so effortless. They are truly the unsung heroes!”
For many, participation in the event is an annual tradition—as much a part of their Thanksgiving ritual as pumpkin pie. And speaking of pie…
Contributions from the community made it possible to include a slice of traditional pumpkin pie with all dinners. Forty pumpkin pies were prepared and donated by the Fort Bragg High School Culinary Arts Program—the second year the students supported the dinner this way. Additional pies were provided by Harvest Market, Safeway, and A Sweet Affair Patisserie through a mix of donations made by each business and the generous donations of “Dessert Dollars” from shoppers in the weeks leading up to Thanksgiving.
Dozens of businesses—most of them local—gave generously to make the event possible. Their contributions ranged from providing food (both for Thanksgiving dinner as well as for volunteers during their shifts) and packaging supplies to printing event posters, spreading the word to listeners and readers, and even repairing the (essential!) slicer. To see a list of this year’s Community Thanksgiving Dinner supporting businesses, visit FBPChurch.org.
