The Rotary Club of Lehigh Acres is again getting ready to put on its 8th annual Thanksgiving Dinner and everyone is invited to attend. Like last year and the years before, it will be held in Parish Hall of St. Rafael’s Catholic Church on Lee Blvd. and it’s free.

Mike Buff, a member of the Rotary, is again chairman of the event and he said that the 70 or so Rotarians in his club plus several other people will volunteer to cook and to take part on the service line. He’s looking for volunteers to help out. You can call him at 239-464-4253.

“We even have family members helping out. We have children serving desserts and on the evening of the 24th, we’ll start cooking our turkeys in the Parish Hall kitchen,” Buff said.

Last year more than 400 attended.

The annual Thanksgiving dinners have become a family tradition in Lehigh and many come in groups. Many enjoy the dinner because they see old friends and it is a time to socialize, too, Buff said.

A lot of the elderly enjoy coming to the dinner. It afford them a great meal and if they live alone, it also makes the day special for them to meet others, Buff said.

The free Thanksgiving Dinner concept began 13 years ago. It was the brainchild of Lisa Goehle who was director of a help agency in Lehigh. At the time, she said there were so many people in Lehigh who could not afford a Thanksgiving Dinner and so many people who lived alone that they would probably not have a dinner.

After the agency closed down, the Rotary Club took over the project and it has become one of the largest endeavors it puts on.

Not only do they do this on Thanksgiving, but they come back on Christmas Eve and start cooking turkeys and hams and serve a free Christmas Day dinner to anyone in the community who wants a great dinner.

Paul Goehle and some of his friends – he is the husband of Lisa Goehle – have become regulars on the night before to start cooking the turkeys and all the trimmings that go with a holiday dinner.

When you enter the lobby of the Parish Hall, you’ll see a big jar where you can drop in contributions if you want, Buff said.

“But we again want to stress that the dinner is free and if some want to give, we would be appreciate,” Buff said.

Some of the things at the dinner have to be bought while other things like turkeys are often donated by some of the area supermarkets.

There is plenty of parking outside the Parish and near St. Raphael’s Church.

“We sometimes have people asking for seconds, but not often because we pile it up on their plates when the come down the serving line,” Buff said.

The Rotary Club of Lehigh meets at noon every week. It has other projects in the community. One such project is the presentation of free dictionaries to third graders in Lehigh schools.

They started the project several years ago now and other Rotary Clubs in the District in Southwest Florida are also giving away free dictionaries, both in English and in Spanish.

“Just get the word out for us,” Buff said. “We enjoy doing this for the community and we really want a big turnout. With times like they are now, this is a great way to enjoy a fantastic Thanksgiving dinner.

“People should not feel that they have to give. This the Rotary Club’s gift to Lehigh as is the Christmas dinner. Just come and eat and enjoy yourselves. We like to see a happy crowd. If they come with an appetite, we’ll provide the meal,” he laughed.