toledoblade.com --

Call it comfort food.

Dozens of turkeys, roasted golden brown, carved out of kindness. Mashed potatoes and stuffing, seasoned with compassion. And a side dish of cranberries, topped with generosity.

Volunteers across the region are reaching out this Thanksgiving, extending dinner invitations to thousands of guests. To the homeless, to the unemployed, to the lonely. To strangers and to their neighbors.

With the economy simmering instead of sizzling, organizers are preparing for big crowds at several locations where free holiday meals will be served, including at Woodmore High School in Elmore, where 500 people are expected for Thanksgiving dinner. It's the first time for the event, targeted for residents of the six western townships of Ottawa County: Allen, Clay, Harris, Benton, Carroll, and Salem.

“Because of the economy the way it is, a lot of people need help,” said Paula Young of Elmore, a committee chairman.

The community event, she emphasized, isn't intended to make anyone feel bad about accepting a warm holiday meal.

“We do not want them to feel we are saying, ‘Oh, look at them.' We want people to feel good about coming and spending time with others,” Ms. Young said. “Everybody is having a hard time right now.”

Several area businesses have laid off workers, and other businesses have closed, Connie Frey of Lindsey said.

Her family has felt the sting of the economy's wallop on wage earners. She lost her job in May. Her husband, Mark, was laid off in August. She has returned to work, but the family has no health insurance. “My daughter had swine flu and I had bronchitis,” Mrs. Frey said.

Despite all that, she believes in reaching out to others, such as volunteering to help with the community dinner project.

Making Thanksgiving placemats

“If I am able to give, I believe that I should,” she said. “Sometimes I think, ‘Boy, this is bad, this is really terrible,' but there is always someone worse off, someone who does not have a roof over their head or food to feed their kids.”

Civic organizations, schools, churches, and businesses have pitched in with the project, and later this week volunteers will get cookin' at the high school cafeteria — turkey, stuffing, mashed potatoes, green beans, cranberry sauce, pumpkin pie. Serving time is 11 a.m. to 2 p.m. Thursday.

In addition to holiday decorations, the cafeteria setting will feature 500 place mats made by students at Woodmore Elementary.

Sonja Patillo and her son, Caleb Simpson, are thankful they will receive a food box with items for Thanksgiving. ‘It kind of overjoys your heart,’ she said.
( THE BLADE/LISA DUTTON )

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Transportation will be provided to those who need a ride, and residents in the six townships are asked to call a hot line, 419-866-9924, if they plan to attend.

That way, organizers can get a head count. However, if someone decides at the last minute to drop by the school, it won't be a problem, Ms. Young said. “We'll say, ‘You're more than welcome. Come on in.'”

Feast in Perrysburg
A similar spirit of caring and sharing abounds in Wood County, where residents are invited to a community Thanksgiving feast at Zoar Lutheran Church in Perrysburg.

The first-time community holiday meal held at the church a few years back drew 11 people, said Connie Teare of Perrysburg, who organizes the annual event. In 2008, there were 150 people.

“I know we will have lots more this year,” Ms. Teare said.

Serving starts at 2 p.m. on Thanksgiving Day in the church auditorium. Organizers ask that people call the church by Monday to make reservations.

It's an ecumenical event with other churches involved, said Ms. Teare, who piled on praise for the many volunteers who are helping to prepare and serve the meal of turkey, ham, stuffing, mashed potatoes, gravy, green bean casserole, baked apples, salads, cranberry sauce, and pie.

LOCAL THANKSGIVING MEALS

Cherry Street Mission Ministries will hold its annual Thanksgiving Day meal program at the following locations:

• Erie Street Market, 237 South Erie St. , 1 to 3 p.m.

• Good Samaritan Outreach Center, 1108 Broadway, 1 to 3 p.m.

• The Madison Food Service and Community Center, 1919 Madison Ave., will serve breakfast at 7:30 a.m. and Good Samaritan will serve it from 8 to 9:30 a.m. There will be football watching and snacks at the Madison center from 4 to 7 p.m. Other Thanksgiving Day dinners will be at:

• Pilgrim Church, 1375 Sylvania Ave., 11 a.m. to 2 p.m.

• Holy Trinity Orthodox Cathedral, 740 North Superior St., for residents of Madonna Homes, 6 p.m.

• Christ the King Church, 4100 Harvest Lane , 11 a.m. to 1 p.m.

• St. Joan of Arc Church, 5856 Heatherdowns Blvd., 11:30 a.m. to 1:30 p.m.

• St. Pius X School, 2950 Ilger Ave., noon to 2 p.m.

• Toledo Gospel Rescue Mission, 1917 Jefferson Ave., will have its Thanksgiving Day dinner from 4 to 6 p.m. at its Outreach Center, 670 Phillips Ave., and another traditional Thanksgiving meal Saturday at 5 p.m. at the mission.

• St. Vincent de Paul Society and St. Joan of Arc Catholic Church, 11:30 a.m. to 1:30 p.m. in the school gymnasium, 5856 Heatherdowns Blvd. Thanksgiving dinners will be Wednesday at:

• Helping Hands of St. Louis, 443 Sixth St., 11 a.m. to 12:30 p.m.

• Martin Luther King Kitchen, 650 Vance St., noon.

• St. Paul's Community Center, 230 13th St., noon.

• Ebenezer Outreach Ministry, 2030 Putnam Ave., 11 a.m. to 2 p.m.

“Everything is homemade,” Ms. Teare said. “The potatoes come from a farmer's garden.” Another farmer donated squash.

The meal will have a down-home feel beyond the homemade food and homespun atmosphere. No plastic sporks or paper plates here. “We will have real silverware, china, and glasses,” Ms. Teare said. “We do it up real nice.”

Meal time in Toledo
In Toledo, the Cherry Street Mission Ministries expects to serve or provide holiday meals to between 3,300 and 3,500 people.

The organization has ramped up its outreach effort for the holiday because more people are seeking assistance, said Rodney O. Schuster, vice president of development.

An estimated 1,300 to 1,500 meals will be served at mission facilities, compared to 1,135 last year. Many of the meals will be served from 1 to 3 p.m. on Thanksgiving Day at the Erie Street Market.

This year for the first time, hot meals will be delivered to households, about 100 of them, on Thanksgiving Day, he said.

Other families will receive food boxes filled with fixings for holiday dinners, such as cans of yams, corn, and chicken broth, gravy and stuffing mix, and a frozen turkey. On Tuesday, volunteers will deliver the food boxes to 500 households, up from 300 last year.

Lots of people can cook their own Thanksgiving meal, but “they cannot afford to buy the food,” Mr. Schuster said.

Giving thanks
The aroma of holiday food cooking will waft through the South Toledo home of Sonja Patillo and her family this week, but she said that just a short time ago, she was sad about the approaching holiday.

“When we get money, it all goes to bills,” she said, leaving precious little for a turkey and other traditional Thanksgiving food. But a heavy burden was lifted, she said, when she learned her family would receive a food box.

“It kind of overjoys your heart,” Ms. Patillo said. “The Lord keeps blessing me. I see it as a blessing to have assistance at Thanksgiving. You can't ask for anything more. You really can't.”

THANKSGIVING EXTRAS

MULTIMEDIA: History of Thanksgiving
VIEW: Pocket guide to Thanksgiving dinner
VIEW: Tips for preparing your holiday turkey

Her 10-year-old son, Caleb Simpson, said the holiday is a time to be thankful. “You thank God for what you have,” he said. “You thank other people for helping you get ready for Thanksgiving.”

Workers at the MLK Kitchen for the Poor on Vance Street are getting ready for the holiday early with plans to serve food from noon to 1:30 p.m. Wednesday to 400 to 500 people, up from the average of 300.

“We've seen such a big increase in people losing their jobs,” said Juanita Savage Person, executive director.

Donations continue to come in, even though “a lot of people are struggling themselves,” she said.

“People's hearts are softened during the holiday.”

“People reflect back. They want to give at Thanksgiving. They want to give back. They might not be able to be rich, but they are able to share.”

Contact Janet Romaker at: jromaker@theblade.com or 419-724-6006.

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