Community pitches in for Thanksgiving dinner

The holidays are a time to come together with family and friends from near and far. There are some in Sisters that are not able to spend the holiday with loved ones, and this year, for the second year in a row, a dedicated group of volunteers stepped in to change that.

On Thanksgiving Day, close to 40 Sisters Country residents spent their holiday at Sisters Community Church preparing and serving a Community Giving Thanks meal. The meal was open for anyone to attend; many come to break bread with old friends, others don't have family close, and some may not have the means to prepare a large holiday feast. It was all about community.

Jennifer Seher took the lead on this year's event and worked closely with a core group of volunteers beginning in late September. For the past several weeks volunteers worked with the church and other groups to secure donations, created posters, flyers and Facebook announcements to get the word out, managed a bank account for donations and, most importantly, planned the menu.

"This year was a real community effort," Seher said. "It was wonderful to provide this for the people of Sisters. I couldn't do it alone!"

Volunteers worked within a small budget of under $500. They were able to secure the use of Sisters Community Church and their kitchen at no cost. Mission Linen donated tablecloths and napkins. Ray's Food Place provided nine turkeys, Sisters Bakery donated 11-dozen dinner rolls and Sisters Market contributed 50 pounds of potatoes.

"My good friend Kimber peeled all those potatoes," said volunteer Deri Frazee.

Overall the group had 13 turkeys and four hams. Dinner also included green beans, corn, traditional stuffing, mashed potatoes with turkey gravy, green salad, corn bread and candied yams with marshmallows. Several local families donated desserts - traditional pumpkin pies with whipped cream, fruit pies, cookies and several gluten-free treats. The favorite was the gluten-free pecan pie made and donated by Lisa Zapponi. It received rave reviews from all who attended.

Approximately 150 meals were served, and everyone left with a full "to-go" box so they could enjoy leftovers throughout the weekend. In addition, Circle of Friends was able to take four uncooked, thawed turkeys for needy families.

The extra food was sent to the Sisters-Camp Sherman fire station this year.

"Sending the additional food to the firemen was a brilliant idea, I wish I'd thought of it," joked Frazee. "We wanted to make sure we have enough food - which means we always have extra. I was glad to see it go to the men and women on duty at the fire hall."

The event provided a sense of community and belonging for all those who attend and volunteer. Many guests at the dinner spent hours socializing and chatting with friends from Sisters both old and new, and several stayed to help clean up.

"I loved seeing everyone who wouldn't have otherwise had a hot holiday meal sitting down together enjoying the food and company," Seher said.

There is a bank account set up at Washington Federal throughout the year for monetary donations or visit the Sisters Community Thanksgiving Dinner Facebook page for more information on how to volunteer for the 2016 event.