Granted, we’re talking turkeys instead of fishes and instant potatoes in lieu of loaves.
But the community Thanksgiving dinners at Westgate Chapel are a modern-day twist on the Biblical account of feeding the multitudes by faith.
Every year since 1993 the Edmonds church has opened its doors to people in South Snohomish and North King counties for a free Thanksgiving gala that’s so elaborate and generous it oozes of collaboration between Martha Stewart and the late Mother Teresa.
About 1,200 people a year flock to the event that this year beckons guests with the promise, “There’s a place at the table for you.”
All the food is donated or purchased by money given by friends or members of Westgate.
“We just pray in the funds. It always seems to be enough,” said Cheryl Zorko of the church’s regional missions staff. She admitted that one year they were “down to one last bowl of potatoes,” but no one went unfed.
About 500 volunteers from Westgate, which draws about 2,100 worshipers every Sunday, roll up their sleeves and pull out their checkbooks to support the event, according to Zorko.
Helpers “rearrange their personal life to serve the community” on that day, often rescheduling their own holiday dinner or substituting a lesser repast – like a family dessert — after the lights go out at Westgate Chapel at about 8:30 p.m. on Thanksgiving, Zorko said.
Dinner guests include those who find themselves alone for the holidays, single parents and their children, the elderly and families of Westgate members. “Wealthy people who want to be part of a larger family at Thanksgiving” also attend, added Janette Brooks, coordinator of regional missions.
Guests will dine on 74 roasted turkeys with dressing; mashed potatoes gussied up with cheese and sour cream, gravy, corn, relish trays, rolls and 150 pumpkin pies. Health-department regulations don’t permit most homemade fare, but Zorko said the cooks jazz up the store-bought goods to turn out “absolutely wonderful, mouth-watering meals.”
Cooking begins on the Monday before Thanksgiving in the church’s commercial kitchen. Westgate works hand-in-oven-mitt with the health department to make sure safe preparation guidelines are followed.
About the turkey that’s prepped ahead of time and popped into a cooler to rest in its natural juices, Brooks joked, “I’m really offended by this. It tastes better than mine.”
For the holiday dinners served in three seatings, Westgate’s gym is transformed by festive decor and individual tables with linen napery into a sit-down restaurant complete with a wait staff and table host.
“There are no buffet lines. Everything is very warm, very friendly, very nice,” Zorko observed.
Food is served family style and leftovers are packaged for dinner guests to take home.
For guests with language barriers, translators are summoned via walkie-talkies to assist them.
Translation for the deaf, transportation, food and clothing banks and even dinner delivery for persons too frail to make the trip also are offered.
As if a feast reminiscent of a Norman Rockwell painting isn’t sufficient, Westgate also provides entertainment. This year it’s comedian/magician Terry Jensen. Children’s crafts and gifts, door prizes, drawings for Toys R Us gift certificates and even a giveaway of a X-Box 360 are planned.
The most expensive part of the event is publicizing it, Brooks said. Postcards to the community, media ads, posters for social-service agencies and even Spanish-language posters specially requested by schools with largely Hispanic populations cost the church thousands of dollars. The schools, Brooks added, first made sure Westgate was offering “the community a gift” and not proselytizing.
Although the message of the Gospel is “made clear … no one is preached to,” Zorko insisted. “The church views this as an outreach. This is one of our ‘big rocks’ of the year,” along with the community harvest party in the fall and the Christmas services.
A highlight for many guests is the free family photos. A professional photographer has volunteered to snap pictures that are printed on the spot, tucked into a holiday card frame and readied for pick up by the time the last forkful of pie is hoisted.
Stories about those photos are both heart-warming and heart-rending, said Zorko.
She recalled a single mom excited about the free photo because they were the only pictures she had of her children since they were toddlers. “Some people don’t even have a camera. We forget that,” Zorko noted.
For the family of a woman who died the February after one Thanksgiving, the photo was the last picture taken of the entire family and became a cherished memory.
For many, Thanksgiving resurrects painful memories of squabbling and abandonment, observed Brooks.
“We want people to leave here thinking, ‘I’ve got a good feeling about Thanksgiving.’”
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