“It was a crazy, beautiful day,” said Claire Sharp, co-director of the the Wimberley Community Thanksgiving Dinner held last week. For the privilege of basking in the warm embrace of community, more than 150 volunteers banded together to serve up the traditional meal of gratitude.
At 5 a.m., long before November 27 dawned, the dinner’s director, Chris Sharp, pulled up outside the Wimberley Community Center to fire up the ovens. An hour later, core members of the kitchen crew - Pascal Gauthier, Sarah Atwood, Scott Lorfing and Sally Hawkins - followed, well aware of what the next eight hours would bring. After a year’s worth of planning by organizers, the experienced crew readied themselves to serve some 950 traditional Thanksgiving dinners to Wimberley residents.
During the week leading up to the event, team leads spent long days getting ready. Kelly Evers, of Kelly’s Hill Country BBQ, smoked 36 turkeys. The set-up and decorating committees draped 30 banquet tables with warm orange cloths and centerpieces evocative of the season. Serving lines in the main dining room, as well as in a separate to-go and delivery staging area, were created along with side stations for desserts and drinks. A selfie wall, with an Autumn scene of trees turning colors, was set up so the day could be remembered.
As the kitchen crew prepared mountains of sweet potatoes, stuffing, mashed potatoes, green bean casseroles and gravies, first shift volunteers arrived, bursting with good will and excitement. Aprons and gloves were donned, pies and cobblers were sliced, glasses of water filled, dinners were packed up to go, and drivers lined up waiting for the addresses they’d need to deliver dinners to people who could not attend.
In the kitchen, the turkey and all the trimmings were tucked away in the ovens. Dinner rolls were browning in the belly of the big Vulcan range.
Promptly at 11 a.m. the doors opened and greeters, some of them standing on the sidewalk outside, ushered people in. Within minutes, a warm atmosphere of welcome, shared communion and cozy belonging bloomed into the expanse of the community center. Friends, neighbors and acquaintances greeted each other. Strangers turned to the side and introduced themselves, falling into easy conversation. As the people settled at the tables with their plates, easy conversation took up residence, punctuated by hums of “mmm” and “yum” as each of them tucked into the sights and smells of the meal. Soon, personal news mingled with other topics as a relaxed air set in. Images of a turkey with the caption, “Eat more chicken,” brought laughter. Kids crayoned papers as their parents watched, volunteers refilled glasses and took photos of friends dining with each other and teens offered to bring a slice of pie to the table.
In the kitchen, the crew choreographed a high-energy triage between the Vulcan’s stovetop where all the burners blazed, the vertical ovens stacked 10 high with large foil roasters and the kitchen’s small worktop, in a race to keep the serving lines filled.
As the second shift volunteers arrived, the first shift volunteers sat down to their turkey dinner to swap tales and revel in the activity of the morning. Fresh greeters wished new arrivals, “Happy Thanksgiving,” hugged each other and caught up with old friends. It was the social event of the year for many of them. Claire Sharp, in charge of the front of the house, posed with Dave Lewis, long-time organizer of the dinner, at the selfie wall.
At their tables, people lingered, fully distilling the atmosphere.
At 2 p.m. the dinner drew to a close. A small band of latecomers arrived and nimble servers welcomed them in. In the kitchen, the tired warriors graciously posed for one more photo.
Altogether, volunteers served 1100 meals, 150 more than they’d planned. Even so, there were leftover pies, cobbler and turkey. The organizers said, “We felt good about that.”
Directors Chris and Claire Sharp left at 5 p.m. after the initial clean-up was finished. For Chris it had been a 12-hour day. The pair returned on Friday to finish the final clean up and load out.
In every way that mattered, the Wimberley Thanksgiving Dinner achieved its purpose of showing gratitude for the blessings of a good life and giving back to a town well-steeped in the joys of community.
