Martinsville Bulletin, Inc.
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Martinsville, Virginia 24115
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More than 1,300 meals were served Friday during the annual Community Christmas Dinner at First Baptist Church in Martinsville. Above, volunteer Rose Knight of Martinsville (left) holds a box as volunteers Sally Mahan (second from right) and Greta Draper, both of Martinsville, place food and supplies inside. (Bulletin photo) |
Sunday, December 27, 2009
By AMANDA BUCK - Bulletin Staff Writer
Volunteering with the Community Christmas Dinner on Friday turned what could have been a sad day into a happy one for Rose Knight.
Knight, who lives in Martinsville, lost both of her parents this year and was left without family in town on Christmas. When she heard about the annual dinner — during which volunteers prepare and deliver food to hundreds of area residents free of charge — Knight knew where she would be on Christmas morning.
“This has really been a great day for me,” she said. “This has been therapy for me. When you reach out and help somebody else, you’re helping yourself.”
Knight was among about 250 people who volunteered to help with the 23rd annual dinner, said organizer Scott Norman. The volunteers began arriving at First Baptist Church in Martinsville at 7 Friday morning and stayed until the last dish was washed at 5 p.m., said Norman, who has helped organize the meal for 13 years.
By the end of the day, more than 1,300 meals were served, he said.
That included 420 pounds of turkey, 450 pounds of ham (about 300 pounds deboned), 108 cans of green beans, 18 gallons of cranberry sauce, plus stuffing, mashed potatoes, gravy and desserts, Norman said.
It was a successful event that almost didn’t happen. Earlier this year, the dinner was canceled after The Mission Center, which sponsored it for years, closed. The meal was revived after Norman began receiving donations and the Grace Network signed on as a co-sponsor.
Norman will not know the total amount of money raised for the dinner until Monday, but he said donations covered the entire $3,500 cost. Any extra funds will be donated to Grace Network, which provides financial assistance and food in times of crisis.
Many of the volunteers said they see the event as a way to give back to the community and to share the true spirit of Christmas.
“I think it’s the most inspirational thing you could do, to help somebody,” said first-time volunteer Jimmie Sexton of Martinsville. “Because so many people are out of work in our community, it’s important.”
While things were in full swing Friday morning, some volunteers prepared food in the church kitchen while others stood in two serving lines. Volunteers on one side of each line scooped food into take-out boxes held by volunteers on the other side of the line. The boxes then were delivered two at a time to another table, where more volunteers closed and sorted them for delivery.
Jenny Manning of Northern Virginia was working at that table with her son, 9-year-old Jackson. In town to visit her mother- and father-in-law, Jack and Betty Manning of Axton, Jenny Manning said she decided to volunteer “to show my son the true meaning of Christmas.”
“I wanted to show him that it’s not about presents and Santa; it’s about helping other people,” she said.
Kim Tatum of Martinsville, a first-time volunteer, brought her daughter, 8-year-old Katelyn Tatum, for the same reason.
“Kids get wrapped up in presents and all that stuff, and we want to teach her what Christmas is really about. And that’s giving,” Tatum said.
Enjoying a brownie after most of the work was done, Katelyn said she had a good time helping out. Her mom agreed.
“We’ll probably do this every year,” she said.
That is just what Gladys Spencer and her son, William Spencer, have done.
After they volunteered for the first time three years ago, “My son and I decided to make this a tradition,” Spencer said.
The two were determined to come, she said, even when the forecast was calling for freezing rain Friday morning.
“We decided if we get the ice, we can just drive there, and we could walk back home” if they had to, Spencer said. “Either way, we were going.”
Luckily for the Spencers and the dozens of volunteers who made deliveries, most places in Henry County and Martinsville received rain rather than ice on Friday morning. But with snow left on the ground from last weekend’s storm, making deliveries was treacherous at times, said Walter Bondurant of Collinsville.
“It’s tough on us,” he said. “A lot of the walks aren’t shoveled.”
Despite that, Bondurant, who has volunteered for four of the past five years, said delivering meals is rewarding.
“They say, ‘God bless you’ and ‘Merry Christmas’ and ‘Feliz Navidad’” he said of people who receive meals. “They’re very, very grateful.”
Several of the volunteers, including Anna Towarnicki of Horsepasture, were impressed by the variety of people who came to help.
“It’s so nice to meet different kinds of people from different backgrounds and different beliefs, but they all come together as just one bunch,” she said.
“People, once they come do something like this, they always come back,” Towarnicki said. Volunteers often realize, she said, that “it’s not the thing you’re giving—it’s what you’re getting out of it.”
First-timer Wydale Harris of Martinsville, who was helping cook gravy in the kitchen, shared a similar idea.
“It’s a blessing for me just to reach out and help someone else,” Harris said.
“I’m thankful me and my husband are healthy enough to do it,” said long-time volunteer Bonnie Hodges of Preston. She and her husband, Curtis Hodges, were busy in the kitchen. They also helped on Thursday, as did their daughter, Jandi Hodges.
Taylor Jenkins of Roanoke and her cousin, Ashlin Bell of Martinsville, both 13, volunteered at the dinner with their grandmother, Eva Weaver of Martinsville.
“She informed us that this was going on, and we both got on the phone today and told her we wanted to come,” Ashlin said.
“Getting together and doing this, I think it was pretty fun,” Taylor said. “I like the fact that you’re doing it to help somebody else.”
Knight, the first-time volunteer who lost her parents this year, summed it up this way: “Just somebody knocking on your door means a lot,” she said. “So many people are just waiting for somebody to show that they care about them. And this has really shown that people care.” |
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