November 29, 2013 at 4:32 p.m.
Local churches team up to serve Thanksgiving meals
Local churches team up to serve Thanksgiving meals
It was the giving part of the holiday that two local churches were focused on Thursday as volunteers prepared and packaged holiday meals for others.
The North Country Vineyard Church and Grace Foursquare Church teamed up for the seventh year in a row to provide free meals to the Rhinelander community, including those in need and those who had to work on the holiday.
"We try to deliver to anybody who is working, who is serving us on Thanksgiving Day. We have a number of people at the hospitals working, we've got the sheriff's department, the fire departments, the police department, gas stations, hotels, the taverns, and everybody else who's in need of a meal," Vineyard pastor Jodi Juedes said.
"We try to get to everybody. It doesn't matter if you can afford it or not, it's just our way of saying thanks, for one, and to try and incorporate everyone into that sense of community."
Over the last seven years the two churches have developed a very efficient system, churning out meals at a rapid pace to make sure everyone who wants one has a hot meal to enjoy.
"It's pretty awesome (being in the seventh year of doing this), though as you go through the years you don't really even consider that it's been that many," Juedes said. "It's awesome to see all of the support we get and all of the volunteers that come forward to make sure everyone's got a Thanksgiving meal to enjoy. You really get to realize on this day just how big your family is. It's not just that little group of people that you typically have Thanksgiving with, it's everybody. It's so much bigger than what you expect."
Juedes noted that the volunteers were willing to forego watching a Green Bay Packers game to help others enjoy the holiday.
"It's been great every year and it seems to continue to grow. I think word has spread that it's just fun and it's a way to not just sit home on Thanksgiving Day and do the same thing that you've always done before," Juedes said. "It's great to see everyone show up even when there's a game on. That's how it goes around here, the game starts and the town vacates. It just goes to show how strong the community is here, that they'll give up not only some of their time on Thanksgiving, but they'll also miss some of the Packers to give back."
Marcus Nesemann may be reached at marcus@river newsonline.com.
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