Community celebrates Thanksgiving

Volunteers make sure holiday meals are available

Lisa Oetting, right, serves 10 year-old Jahair Easton who commented that he hadn't seen so much food in one place as he made his way through the serving line. He was visiting his grandmother at Dulle and Hamilton Towers and was able to enjoy the meal served by volunteers. Several members of Immaculate Conception Parish have made it a practice to serve others on Thanksgiving Day. Volunteers do not only come from the church but outside of it as well to help out with the meal of turkey, dressing and the fixings.
Lisa Oetting, right, serves 10 year-old Jahair Easton who commented that he hadn't seen so much food in one place as he made his way through the serving line. He was visiting his grandmother at Dulle and Hamilton Towers and was able to enjoy the meal served by volunteers. Several members of Immaculate Conception Parish have made it a practice to serve others on Thanksgiving Day. Volunteers do not only come from the church but outside of it as well to help out with the meal of turkey, dressing and the fixings.

For many residents of Jefferson City's Dulle and Hamilton Towers, Thanksgiving provides an opportunity to come together as a community.

Residents, families and friends gathered Thursday morning for a full turkey meal provided by Audrey Kauffman and the Immaculate Conception Church.

Kauffman said she began serving both Thanksgiving and Christmas dinners at the towers about five years ago. The meals are open to all residents of the towers, but also to anyone in the neighborhood who perhaps has no one to celebrate with during the holidays.

"I realized that many people didn't have family," Kauffman said. "So many of the residents are isolated ... They have very few opportunities to get together."

Debra Haar, a resident of the towers, sat down to eat with two friends who came to join her. She said she has been attending both the Thanksgiving and Christmas meals served at the towers since they started and the best part is the people involved. Though she's seen many residents move in and out, she said as long as there are people she knows, she enjoys the holiday.

"I've been here 10 years," Haar said. "People come and go."

At another table sat Cathy Washington, Debbie Smith, Linn Gurtner and Germaine Larkins. All residents of the towers, Smith said they came last year and decided to enjoy the festivities again this year. And like Haar, Smith said the reason it's so nice for everyone is those involved.

"The people are so nice," Smith said. "We all come together.

Larkins agreed, adding it's one of the few times a year when everyone seems to get along, at least for one day.

"Normally we don't get along very well around here," Larkins said with a smile.

Tina Spears, a resident of the towers, said this was her second year attending the Thanksgiving meal. After losing her mother about two years ago, Spears said she has no family and coming to the meal at the towers allows her to celebrate the holiday with good food and good people.

Kauffman said they normally serve about 140 people on Thanksgiving, plus they bring boxes of food up to residents who could not make it downstairs for the meal. All the food comes from the Immaculate Conception Church, where parishioners have cooked and baked for days to provide meals at the towers and at a community meal held at the church itself Thursday.

And as for volunteers, Kauffman said it was hard to know how many were there to help, as they don't always sign up ahead. Sometimes people just show up and want to help, she said, or bring others along to volunteer too.

Lisa Distler volunteers each year with her husband and three sons. Distler said the family does not do the big Thanksgiving meal anymore and instead spends the day trying to give back to the community. She said volunteering helps remind them to be grateful for all that they have.

"It's important for our kids to learn that," Distler said.