Calvary Church Puts the Giving Back in Thanksgiving

Calvary Episcopal Church’s Parish Hall will open its doors to community members Thursday in the spirit of the season as they host their 15th annual Thanksgiving Dinner.

Although volunteers will be busy preparing for the feast early Thanksgiving morning, guests are invited to sit down to dinner at noon.

“Our guests include the needy, many who are alone or who could not get to their families, volunteer families who stay after helping, and many who enjoy the fellowship,” said Rick Ostberg, chair of outreach.

Thursday’s menu is made up of all the traditional Thanksgiving elements: fresh-roasted turkey, stuffing, homemade gravy, mashed potatoes, green beans, and more. Turkeys and monetary donations are supplied by many Calvary parishioners with the remaining needs met by Calvary Outreach, explained Ostberg.

In addition, Natale’s bakery will be contributing fresh apple and pumpkin pies, as well as dinner rolls.

The Turkey Day tradition was born 15 years ago when Janet and Dick Haines, church parishioners at the time, were inspired to celebrate Thanksgiving by giving back. The couple was influenced by the efforts of Dick Nelson who founded Summit Helping Its People three years earlier, a meal program that provides daily  breakfast and weekend meals to those in need.

Janet recalls, “The specter of eating way too much and sitting around watching football got the best of me—I revolted.  The first alternative had to be presented to my husband. Given this was just 3 weeks before the big day, ‘Honey, what would you think if we...?’  Gratefully he said, ‘Why not, let's give it a try.’”

After their second year of success, it was clear that they were fulfilling a need in the community, said Haines.

Each year, the event is announced to all local parishes, inviting willing members to get involved. Specific tasks include food preparation, carving, set up, serving food, and clean up. Further services are provided by SHIP, an active partner in helping cook the turkeys and source the trimmings.

“Volunteers appear to appreciate the opportunity to give back a little, share some of their good fortune, and brighten the day of others,” said Ostberg, who encouraged anyone interested to stop by and “share a meal and fellowship” this Thursday.

This year, Janet and Dick Haines will be visiting from New Hampshire, where they’ve since relocated, and contributing their services to the event they launched over a decade ago.

In addition to this celebrated feast, Calvary Church outreach also delivers Thanksgiving dinners to Senior Connections senior housing on Chestnut Street and dinners to the Apostles House shelter in Newark.

Come December, the outreach team will be at work again when they host a dinner on Christmas Day. To find out more about how you can get involved or support the holiday effort, contact the Parish Office at Calvary Church.