Community Thanksgiving speaks volumes about the big heart that is the Stockbridge community
by Roberta Ludtke and Mary Jo David
Community Thanksgiving in Stockbridge and neighboring communities has been happening for so many years, it might not seem like a big deal to those who live here. After all, last year the dinner celebrated its 25th year and is still going strong. But the oversized commitment of those who volunteer and the deeply felt appreciation of those who partake in the meal both help to define Stockbridge and the surrounding municipalities as a huge-hearted community that truly cares about its fellow citizens. The community doesn’t just say it cares, it shows that care, and Community Thanksgiving is proof.
Last year, the Stockbridge Community News ran a 25th anniversary story reporting on the history of this special Thanksgiving Day event. To recap, Stockbridge resident Lena Montgomery contacted Craig Goodlock to ask him about possible volunteer opportunities for her son, Beau, to encourage him to be more involved in the community. She suggested the idea of a volunteer-run community dinner. Goodlock presented the idea to a committee of the United Methodist Church of Munith, and Community Thanksgiving was born.
The dinner has gone from 25 delivered meals and 25 served at the church to approximately 100 delivered meals, 100 picked up, and more than 500 meals served in the current and much larger location, Heritage Elementary School in Stockbridge. What began with 10 to 15 volunteers has ballooned to a major operation worthy of a restaurant chain.
Nowadays, dinner organizers rely on a professional who volunteers to advise on food safety, Hankerd Hills restaurant in Pleasant Lake to roast the turkeys, and numerous community groups and churches for many of the other tasks. EMS Explorers peel mounds of potatoes, Mrs. Corts’ Home Economics class makes the stuffing, Girl Scout troops under Lori Zemke’s leadership have made pies and now cookies, and Boy Scout greet and visit with guests. Fred Waters’ wife continued the tradition of doing the dishes for a time after his death.
With the blessing of the school board, Heritage School is home base for the food deliveries and storage leading up to the event. Additionally, numerous school employees—from janitors to secretaries and so many others—volunteer their time in many ways: opening doors, clearing walks in bad weather, distributing flyers, and handling bookkeeping for the event, to name a few. While there are far too many volunteers to name, a few stories are worth mentioning, like Chuck and Joan Bumpus who insisted on delivering to a full list of folks—not just two or three.
Community Thanksgiving dinners are served onsite at Heritage School, but they are also delivered. Thanks to the prodding of Betty Jason, a volunteer who worked with Meals on Wheels, Community Thanksgiving dinners are now making it to destinations as far away as Jackson and Holt.
Craig and Laurie Goodlock and Lena Montgomery recently met to provide the above background and to recount their experiences with Community Thanksgiving.
“What surprised us the most were the reasons people attended the dinner,” Laurie Goodlock said.
They had originally expected most guests would be those who could not afford food, currently known as food insecure. Surprisingly, though, many come for the companionship. Some are empty nesters who have no children in the area, or those who had a spouse who recently passed, or someone who just can’t lift a turkey anymore. And some like Lena Montgomery, want to expose their children to what it’s like to do for others.
Years of volunteering at the dinner have elicited some stories that really pull at the heartstrings. There’s one about a well-known community member who, when her health was failing, reached out to the organizers to ask if she could host her family for a last Thanksgiving dinner together at Community Thanksgiving. Or the young boy whose family regularly volunteered, even the year the boy had lost his father. As he was helping Montgomery push around the pie cart, he spotted one of the first responders who had been to his home the day his father died. You could have heard a pin drop in the room as the young boy acknowledged the man, and the man offered his condolences.
Whatever your reason for volunteering, attending, or receiving a meal delivery, compliments of Community Thanksgiving, be assured you are participating in something exceptional, something not many communities can lay claim to. And never, ever take for granted that you are part of a very special community.
Community Thanksgiving is on Thanksgiving Day, Thursday, Nov. 28, 2019. Time: 11:30 a.m. until 2:00 p.m. Interested in having a Community Thanksgiving meal delivered? Contact Erin Smith, coordinator, at 517-812-3217, before Nov. 25. Volunteers may also call this number to sign up.
