The community Thanksgiving dinner hosted by Wesley United Methodist Church has grown a lot since it started.
Volunteer Dorothy Minch-Bledsoe said she’s been amazed at how involved the community has become in the annual meal, which was hosted for the 11th year on Thanksgiving Day. She remembers serving about 100 meals with mostly volunteers from the church when it first started.
Now the feast is a true community-wide experience.
Pastor Randy Flanagan said the church expected to serve 700 meals this year in addition to deliveries for homebound people, who might not have a Thanksgiving otherwise, and to emergency service personnel working the holiday.
Everyone is welcome at the meal, regardless of circumstances, organizer Karen King said.
Minch-Bledsoe and her friend Diane Drabes helped deliver some of the roughly 170 boxed Thanksgiving meals to the homebound.
“God bless you,” Vickie Horvwalt told Drabes and Minch-Bledsoe when they brought her a plate.
Drivers also took food to emergency service workers including the Morgantown, Westover, Granville and Star City police departments, the 911 center, Morgantown Fire Department and Mon EMS.
But before Horvwalt or first responders could enjoy the feast, people like volunteer Rackeem Miller had to get it ready for delivery.
“Eight plates,” an organizer called.
Scoop the green beans, pass the plate. Scoop the green beans, pass the plate.
After each plate was loaded with ham, turkey, green beans, sweet potatoes, corn, stuffing, mashed potatoes and gravy, they were bagged with a slice of pie and given to a driver for delivery. Then the cycle repeated.
Miller said he gives his time because he doesn’t have money to donate but loves helping out and giving back. Thursday was Miller’s first time volunteering for the feast but he said he enjoyed it and plans to come again next year.
Others, such as Abby Perrelli, have made volunteering a Thanksgiving tradition.
Perrelli lives in Newton, N.J., and travels to Morgantown with her two kids, 14-year-old Clea and 16-year-old Isaiah, to visit her parents each year. For the past five, the trio has volunteered at Wesley UMC.
“It’s just nice because we’re so fortunate,” Perrelli said of the volunteering. “And there’s a lot of people out there that aren’t so fortunate, and I wanted to show my kids that.”
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