November 28 – LIMA – The first volunteers arrived at 4 a.m. Thursday to check the ovens.
Others trickled in throughout the morning: setting tables, serving mashed potatoes, carrying boxes of hygiene products and groceries to the mass of vehicles idling outside the Wyngate Hotel.
250 volunteers are needed to prepare, pack and serve the 3,000 meals for needy families who come to the Veterans Memorial Civic Center for Thanksgiving dinner.
The preparations are the same as for a family of 20, only “on a grand scale,” says Jonathan Burkey, executive director of Compassionate Ministries in Lima, which took over fundraising and preparations for the community meal several years ago.
The Thanksgiving tradition began in the 1980s, serving thousands of hungry Lima residents and those who would otherwise spend the holiday alone.
The meal became a tradition for volunteers like Quincey Simpson, who started bringing players from the Lima Senior boys basketball teams to serve meals at the Civic Center when he became head coach 11 years ago.
Twenty-five freshmen, junior varsity and varsity players joined Simpson this year.
The experience is both heartwarming and educational, as players get to know their neighbors and gain a newfound appreciation for their lives.
“It allows them to open their eyes to a different perspective of how blessed they are,” Simpson said. “We try to use that as a tool to help them understand that everyone’s situation is different.”
Preparing a meal for 3,000 people also requires a lot of philanthropy.
Compassionate Ministries relies on corporate sponsors to provide food: drinks from Coca-Cola, mashed potatoes from Bob Evans, green beans from the Allen County Farm Bureau.
Proctor & Gamble delivered 10 pallets of feminine hygiene products and laundry detergent to give away to everyone who visited the Civic Center and Wyngate Hotel on Thursday, Burkey said.
Families also took home large boxes of groceries donated by the West Ohio Food Bank in addition to their Thanksgiving meals, whether they dined there or visited the drive-thru.
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