Thursday November 22nd

We give special thanks to all our many volunteers who helped make this event possible

The planning all starts in October. Many phone calls are made to order foodstuffs. Many phone calls are received to schedule pick-up and delivery, as well as Volunteer Shifts for serving and clean-up. The appeal letter goes out and the contributions come in.

The signs go up on the Trinity gate, Frederick Douglass Housing bulletin boards, Park West Village e-mail listserv.

Helpers gather on Thanksgiving Eve to set-up tables, wrap hundreds of pieces of plastic ware, wash the kitchen utensils, clean-up the bathrooms and the undercroft floor.

Early on Thanksgiving Day, the crew arrives from New Jersey to prep for the sit-down and take-out meals. The children bring their Halloween Trick or Treat candy to hand-out for additional dessert. The line starts forming around 10:00am. The Volunteers are welcomed and assigned to a Serving, Security, or Hospitality teams. Pastor Guest and Pastor Neumark lift-up Prayers of the People and the Lord’s Prayer.
Over 40 turkeys, were baked, carved, and eaten – along with gravy, potatoes, stuffing, vegetables, cranberry sauce, corn-bread, beverage, and pie – by over 400 guests. More than 42 Volunteers assisted in preparing and distributing the meals. Several Trinity congregation members sat down and conversed with those who were eating. There was live music performed by Guitarist Todd Grape on Trinity’s stage. It was all finished by 5:00pm. Thanks be to God for this sharing of our abundance.

Great Spirit, You Are the Life of Things

Great Spirit, once more behold me on earth and lean to hear my feeble voice.
You lived first, and you are older than all need, older than all prayer.
All things belong to you – the two-legged, the four-legged,
the wings of the air, and all green things that live.
You have set powers of the four quarters of the earth to cross each other.
You have made me cross the good road and road of difficulties,
and where they cross, the place is holy.
Day in, day out, forevermore, you are the life of things.

Black Elk (1863-1950)