"We are ready to go," said Mike Buff, the chairman of the Free Community Thanksgiving Dinner set for Thursday beginning at 10:30 a.m. and ending at around 2 to 2:30 p.m.
The dinner, open to the public at the Parish Hall of St. Rafael Catholic Church on Lee Blvd., is again being sponsored by the Rotary Club of Lehigh Acres. Buff has been involved with the preparation of the dinner for 13 years and has served as chairman of the event for five years.
This year is a first for the Seventh Day Adventist Church which is also offering a free meal to the community on Thursday.
"We've got 27 big turkeys for our Rotary dinner ready to cook and we're going to start stuffing them in the ovens tonight (Nov. 24). I did some of the final shopping over the past weekend and if people want to help donate, they call me on my cell at 239-464-4253," Buff said.
Some of the food has been donated and other items are being purchased by the club, Buff said.
Ready to put on their big white aprons and white headgear to start cooking Wednesday night are Buff himself, and Dick Groetchen, Edd Weiner and Earl Hart. Paul Goehle hadn't called by the end of the week but he told The Citizen he was going to be at the Parish Hall kitchen like always and help the men cook the big birds.
This is the 13th year for the Community Thanksgiving Dinner and like every other year since it was started by Lisa Goehle, Paul's wife, there is no charge to come and eat.
Lisa Goehle began the dinner for people who are alone and had no place to go and for people who couldn't afford to buy a turkey and all the trimmings. The Rotary Club picked it up from Goehle and has been doing it ever since and Buff said Rotarians hope to continue the tradition for years to come. They also do it all over again for Christmas Day when a community dinner with ham and turkey is offered free to the community.
Last year, Buff said nearly 500 people turned out and he says there may be more this year because of the hard times in the community.
Buff said Interact Club students at Lehigh Senior High School, which is associated with the Rotary Club will be there to help serve and clean up.
And Lisa Goehle who started the tradition says she will be there, too, probably helping to clean up.
"The Rotary always leaves the Parish Hall as clean as it was when they started cooking the turkey and all the trimmings," Lisa Goehle said.
The church offers the hall at no charge to the Rotary Club each year.
Buff stressed that the dinner has no charge and wants everyone in the community who has no plans to go somewhere else, or who can't afford to buy a turkey this year, to come out.
"Everyone gets along so well and people meet friends and a lot of family members turn out together now as a tradition," Buff said.
As you enter the entrance to the Parish Hall, there is a "wishing well" off to the side on a table and those who want to contribute may do so.
But Buff emphasized that donating is not what the dinner is all about.
"Again, it's free to the community and we at Rotary are happy to be able to do this," he said. Many of the Rotarians will be on hand along with family members to help out. And volunteers have been calling. Buff said if you want to help out on the serving line or to clean up, give him a call. You can also just show up the day of the dinner and offer your help, too, he said.
The Lehigh Seventh Day Adventist Church at 190 Homestead Rd. S. is also cooking a free Thanksgiving dinner on Thursday. Pastor Dr. Newton Hoilette noted that 2010 has been a devastating year for the people who live in the area and the church wants to provide a free place for everyone to come and enjoy Thanksgiving Dinner. This is the first time for the church to have a free dinner and invite everyone in the community. The dinner is from noon to 2 p.m., Hoilette said.
