In what must be the most gratifying event of the year, the Community Thanksgiving last week drew record numbers to the seasonal feast held Thursday at the Wimberley Community Center.
Dave Lewis, longtime organizer and producer of the event, and his team planned to provide 625 meals. When the final count was in, an astonishing 844 dinners were served, the largest in the 34year event. In previous years the count hovered around 570 meals. In 2019, previously the largest turnout ever noted, 720 meals were served. But this year, all previous records were demolished. Eight hundred and forty-four Thanksgiving dinners were served to the Wimberley community.
Of those 844 dinners, 430 of them were either taken to go or delivered by volunteers to people who could not get out. By the end of the day, 175 deliveries were made. Twenty- five of them went to hardworking Ace Hardware staff who were on duty at the store. The remaining 438 dinners were enjoyed by people at festive tables set up for the occasion.
The kitchen crew arrived as usual at 6:30 a.m. to begin cooking for the 11 a.m. dinner. Before anyone else arrived, Lewis was there to get preparations underway. Many of the cooks themselves have accrued years of volunteering in the kitchen.
Chris Sharp, who is the director of the dinner said, “There are eight to ten cooks who come every year and Sarah Atwood is one of them.” She and Chris are in charge of the ovens and the rest of the team, he said, “operates like a well-oiled machine.” This year the crew included Shiila Safer, Audie Jenkins, Pascal Gauthier, Scott Lorfing and Brian Gallagher.
Also integral to the event is Chris’ wife, Claire, who is in charge of the “front of the house,” in restaurant-speak, and according to Chris, Dave Lewis and Claire Sharp have known each other for some 50 years.
More than 200 individuals, many members of local organizations, volunteered to help serve and deliver meals.
When asked why they volunteered, Shelley and Paul Winsworth, who have been volunteering for the last couple of years, said, “We like meeting everyone. It’s like one big happy family. We don’t have family in town so this is the next best thing.”
Bradley Johnson, another volunteer, was spotted smiling while looking over the crowd of volunteers and feasters. When asked why he chose to pitch in, he said, “How could you not? I love the parents who bring their kids to volunteer.”
John Shelor, father of teenagers, brought his kids to volunteer again this year. “We love being here,” he said. Shelor and his wife Shawna and their teens were recognizable by their turkey, wedge of cheese, and other hats they wore.
As the line stretched out the door and into the lobby, volunteers on the serving line called back to the kitchen that the cranberries were out. It was 11:07 a.m. A volunteer was dispatched to purchase more. Within the hour, the line grew until it spilled out the front door and onto the sidewalk. By the next hour it stretched around part of the building.
The organizers were very concerned that there might not be enough food. More trips were made to Brookshire’s for ingredients, and later for pies. As the demand continued, cooks made additional casseroles and side dishes.
Front of the house manager Claire changed how people queued so that more people could be inside the building while they waited. Volunteers chatted with people in the line so that the wait did not seem too long. People who came with canes and crutches were shown to chairs where they could sit without losing their place in line. “The line never let up,” she said.
Seated in the middle of the room was longtime Wimberley resident Nelda Williams. At 94, Nelda insisted, as she does every year, to attend the dinner instead of having one delivered to her. Her explanation for coming was, “I see more community here than I do the rest of the year.”
While organizers worried how they could somehow serve 219 more meals than they’d planned, Claire, back from circulating the dining area and lobby, said, “I heard nothing but wonderful stories. I didn’t hear any sign of impatience or discord from anyone.”
By 1:30 p.m. the last meal was served, delivered and boxed up to go, thirty minutes ahead of the posted end time.
“I’m not one to say this lightly, but we think we had a little miracle here,” said Claire afterwards. “It was a loaves and fishes experience for those of us who knew we only had so much to give out, and yet somehow we managed anyway. Hopefully it speaks to what a wonderful place Wimberley is.”
The dinner is supported, by and large, through individual donations, but this year, Ace Hardware donated monies raised from their “round up to the next dollar” cash register program in which customers are asked if they would like to round up their purchase to the next dollar to support it. Kelly’s BBQ is another contributor. He smoked 300 pounds of turkey breast this year for the dinner. The City of Wimberley supports Wimberley’s version of the unique American ritual by donating the community center and kitchen for the day. Dave Lewis, from his years as a restaurateur, lends his extensive contacts in the food industry to get the food at reasonable prices.
