File photo

Seth and Becky Jacobs helped serve a Thanksgiving meal at Cornerstone United Methodist Church during the annual dinner in 2010. This year’s dinner will be at the Salvation Army in Portsmouth.

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Frank Lewis

PDT Staff Writer

For many years, area families have gathered on Thanksgiving Day at Cornerstone United Methodist Church for a complete Thanksgiving dinner. This year, that location has changed.

“They had decided almost not to have it because so much in the last few years people taking them (dinners) out instead of sitting down, and that’s not what the original dinners were set up for,” Charlene Aeh, one of the organizers of the dinner, said. “It was supposed to be a community get-together, but it had gotten so that it was practically all carry-out. So I think they kind of didn’t want to have it. But the Salvation Army stepped up and said they could have it there.”

Aeh said the churches are going to try to diminish the number of carry-outs by having the churches call her by today (Wednesday) at noon, with how many carry-outs they will need and who will be picking them up.

“They can pick those up between 10:30 a.m. and 11 a.m., before the dinner. The dinner is from 11 a.m. until 1 p.m. But if they don’t call in their totals to me by noon tomorrow (today), they will not be able to pick up any carry-outs,” Aeh said.

Aeh said someone had come in last year and wanted 200 carry-out meals. She said that defeats the purpose of having the community come together for a sit-down dinner.

Another change this year is how the food will be provided and prepared.

“They had some problems with the turkeys because they were coming in not finished, or the giblets were still inside, and that was a big hassle,” Aeh said. “They finally found a couple of fellows who do catering. So they said they would do the turkeys and the dressing. So they just asked the churches to donate like $15 for the turkey or $8 toward a pan of dressing.And these fellows will do that, plus the gravy. Then some of the churches were asked to donate a case of mashed potatoes, rolls, green beans. And the youth groups at Cornerstone and Second Presbyterian, will be doing the pies. And anyone else who wanted to bring in pies would be welcome. And if they had any of them left, they would donate them to Loaves and Fishes or the Domestic Violence Shelter.”

The churches are to contact Aeh with a list of people who want to volunteer Wednesday (today) and Thursday.

She again reminded those in the community who enjoy the Thanksgiving meal that it will be held this year at the Salvation Army on Findlay Street from 11 a.m. until 1 p.m., and it is again sponsored by Cornerstone United Methodist Church, First Presbyterian Church, Second Presbyterian Church, St. Mary’s Catholic Church, Kingdom Builders, All Saints Episcopal Church, First Christian Church, First Christian Church, Central Baptist Church, the Salvation Army, and the Evangelical United Church of Christ.

Frank Lewis may be reached at 740-353-3101, ext. 252, or at flewis@heartlandpublications.com