Happy diners, happier volunteers at 38th annual Kearney Community Thanksgiving Dinner
KEARNEY — It’s hard to tell who had a more delicious time at the 38th annual Community Thanksgiving Dinner — the 1,500 people who were fed or the 150 volunteers.
People flocked to the annual event at Old Town Hall, lining up outside for 30 minutes before doors opened at 11:15 a.m.
Volunteer Brad Kernick offered a blessing. Then volunteers dished up turkey, mashed potatoes, ham, sweet potatoes, green beans, corn, salad, rolls and pie.
Veteran volunteers were back, people like Tina Haight and her daughter Jessica Haight, who drove 26 hours from Boston for the 29th year and stay with relatives in Minden.
This year, Tina’s mother, Dorothy Martinez, volunteered for the first time Wednesday tp help peel potatoes and dry dishes. Haight and her daughter do "whatever they want us to do,” she said.
Other new volunteers were Matt and Emily Johnson and their sons Soren, 9, and Lane, 7, both pupils at Windy Hills Elementary.
“We really wanted the kids to get experience in giving back to the community,” Matt Johnson said. “The number of volunteers is incredible. There’s a lot of heart in this event." Added Emily, “This proves there's a lot of richness in Kearney.”
Debra Stock of Kearney came alone because her sister from North Platte was snowed in. A former volunteer at this event, she sat with others who came alone, including Jason Bishop and Bobbi Jo Gressley, both of Kearney.
“This is fantastic,” Bishop, a first-timer, said. “What a blessing this place is.”
Back in the kitchen, 40-year volunteer Ron Svacina washed dishes with the Rogers family from Shelton: Levi and his wife Kari, and Maddox, 5, and Meica, 8.
Jean James, her husband Ed and son Brett, 29, filled plates behind the buffet line. The rookie volunteers were here because their family's Thanksgiving dinner will be Saturday, “and this is something we always wanted to do,” she said.
Children volunteered, too. Five-year-old Isla Meyer, daughter of Chais and Shawna, carried trays back to the kitchen.
Veteran volunteer Styla Rowe, 11, daughter of Lerrin and Noah, carried trays for older guests who needed a bit of assistance. Her brothers Rextyn, 8, and Owen, 10, showed up with men in the family at 2 a.m. to begin roasting 42 turkeys for the event. The menu included 260 pounds of ham, 400 pounds of potatoes, 400 pounds of sweet potatoes and 650 dinners rolls.
Maddi Pierce, 20, and her sister Ellie, 17, were here for the first time, too. The family is usually out of town on Thanksgiving, but not this year. They all came here instead. “You can see the joy on people’s faces and see how grateful they are,” Maddi said.
Jordyn Svec, 18, and her sister Izzy, 15, both students at Kearney Catholic High School, said the event warmed their hearts, too. “I love to see how happy people are,” Jordyn said.
I.V. Rosenberg of Kearney, father of Emily Johnson, noted people of all ages, from every neighborhood and every profession, enjoying the dinner. “There’s a lot of love here today, and look at these young people. They’re not home playing video games. They’re here helping,” he said.
Susan Puckett and her husband Gary were back for their 28th or 29th year. She’d lost count. “We love this day. It is so worthwhile to see people in the Old Town Hall again," she said.
PHOTOS: 38th annual Kearney Community Thanksgiving Dinner
