We've Got The County Covered
We've Got The County Covered
This 2013 photo of the Community Thanksgiving dinner shows a full dining room including Jeanne Dalton and Sherry Edwards. Jeanne and her family hosted the event the past few years with the help of friends like Sherry and many others. Please contact the Thanksgiving Day Board if you are interested in becoming a volunteer.
Thanksgiving is traditionally the start of the 'Giving Season' as it marks the beginning of the holiday season. The community members within the city of Chinook and its surrounding neighbors have been very giving through the years. Throughout each year the community comes together for various fundraiser benefits and a variety of activities to support its citizens.
The Community Thanksgiving Dinners held every year since the early 1980's are a great example of that giving community avenue. Approximately 33 years ago a local couple attempted to host the first community dinner at the Presbyterian Church, but without the aid of community involvement, advertising or donations it was not a great success.
Kathy Lenhardt became a driving force in organizing a group of local townspeople to help seek donations, prepare the dinner and begin a tradition of serving the community each and every Thanksgiving.
Lenhardt along with Frank and Jane Pehrson, Larry Wisch, Doris Hamilton and Carol Munson took on the task of organizing the event to benefit the community each year. Later, after the passing of Kathy Lenhardt, Doris and Larry became the main organizers and maintained the tradition up until 2010 when they decided it was time to take a step back and let some of the younger people take the reigns.
Hamilton explained that the city of Chinook is an older community and many times people are alone during the Holidays because of various reasons from kids not being able to come home to people traveling away for Thanksgiving to see loved ones.
The original idea was for those community members who were alone to be able to gather together, to enjoy each other's company and find a little joy on a day set aside to give thanks.
"The one thing about Chinook is it is a wonderful and giving place to live, it's a wonderful caring town," said Hamilton.
So when it came time for Larry and Doris to take a step back it was put to the community to find some volunteers willing to take on the event. Larry and Doris took out an ad in the paper and spread the word around town about the need for a replacement. For a short while it seemed as if there wouldn't be any volunteers willing to keep the dinner going.
Soon Doris got a call from Jeanne Dalton offering to take over the dinner with the help of her husband Ron and friends. Jeanne continued to host the dinner following the sudden loss of Ron but the time has come for her to walk away from the event.
The Thanksgiving Day Board is looking for individuals, a group of individuals or an organization to step forward and host the event.
The Board, consists of Wisch, Hamilton and Jay Eslick. Hamilton is stepping down after being a part of the event from the beginning and Eslick is assuming Wisch's spot on the board. The board requires the volunteer service of two individuals and in addition to Eslick there is another individual ready to assume the duties.
Any interested individuals or groups should contact Eslick at 357-3211 within the next few weeks.
The dinner is a traditional Turkey dinner with all the trimmings and homemade pies and desserts.
