People from all walks of life flocked to community Thanksgiving dinners Thursday, where they were met with open arms by organizations eager to serve.
Following a tough year dominated by the COVID-19 pandemic, the Jefferson City community was ready to gather again and serve anyone in need this Thanksgiving.
Large community dinners were provided at Immaculate Conception Catholic Church, First Baptist Church and the Salvation Army, which served lunch and dinner.
Immaculate Conception Catholic Church has been providing Thanksgiving dinners for roughly 12 years.
The church was prepared to feed 1,200 people, longtime volunteer Robert Ferguson said, but he was expecting 800-900 people to actually spend their Thanksgiving with them.
Ferguson said this year's turnout was great, considering the ongoing COVID-19 pandemic and current economic conditions.
He said there were fewer people calling in ahead of time, but more people walking through the door than previous years.
Yedineya Bright, a first time visitor to Immaculate Conception, was picking up two meals - one for him and the other for his friend.
Bright, like many others, wasn't able to spend the holiday with family.
"Unfortunately, a lot of things happened this year so I wasn't able to go and celebrate Thanksgiving with them," Bright said. "Thankfully, I was actually able to come out and get something like this though since I can't cook this kind of stuff. I've tried, it doesn't turn out well."
The church relies on a small army of volunteers to keep the operation running like a well-oiled machine.
This year, there were about 45 people donating their time, ranging from young children who helped refill drinks and serve food to an assembly line that prepared the food and packed it up to be delivered.
The food itself is entirely donated as well, Ferguson said.
"It's one of those things where you're really excited you're able to assist them and lighten the load, especially on a holiday like Thanksgiving," Ferguson said.
Curtis Burton and Morgan Kempfer, a couple of staff members at Jefferson City Correctional Center, were spending some of their holiday at Immaculate Conception.
Dressed in their uniforms, Burton said they were getting ready for their shift at the prison, but he wanted to stop and get a Thanksgiving meal for his family before going in.
He was picking up seven meals.
Burton and Kempfer usually begin their shift around 3:30 p.m., but he said they were going in early on Thanksgiving to help the team and relieve staff that was on duty in the morning. They were expecting to work until midnight, leaving little time to prepare a large Thanksgiving meal.
"It's a great time to be with the family, but we don't get that luxury with our job," Burton said.
Like Bright, it was their first time getting meals from Immaculate Conception. Burton said he was surprised to see so many people there.
"It's a lot of people," he said. "It's amazing."
Ferguson said one of the main goals for the church is to make the visitors feel comfortable coming in.
If an individual is alone, he said volunteers will more than likely sit with them and share a conversation over a meal.
It also helps to give visitors a bright welcome when they enter, which is exactly what greeter Vickie Lueckenortte did.
With a cheerful, "Happy Thanksgiving," Lueckenortte greeted visitors as they entered the church to dine-in or pick up food to go.
She said some visitors are somewhat hesitant about entering, but she enjoys bringing them in and "lighting them up" with a smile and warm welcome.
She said it was her first time volunteering, but she's been wanting to do it for years.
Lueckenortte, who was volunteering with her husband, normally goes to her sister-in-law's for Thanksgiving, but it didn't work out this year.
"The greeting job has been terrific," she said. "I get to see everybody, and I get to say hi to everybody."
Lueckenortte said she thinks community dinners are what Thanksgiving is all about: people, who don't need to know each other, getting together and being thankful they can.
"And this year, more than ever, we can!" she said with a beaming smile.
The return of in-person meals was an obviously welcome element this year for Immaculate Conception and First Baptist Church.
Melissa Hatfield, pastor of youth and missions with First Baptist, was filling in wherever needed Thursday.
Like Immaculate Conception, an efficient group of volunteers helped serve food to dine-in guests, make deliveries and provide a welcoming atmosphere at First Baptist. It too has been serving Thanksgiving meals for about 12 years.
Hatfield said the church had at least 211 deliveries this year, which were spread out throughout town and into Holts Summit. Clients ranged from the Jefferson City Police Department and Missouri Highway Patrol to individual homes.
"It's a wonderful ministry of the church just to show love to our community," Hatfield said. "It meets needs related to food, but especially fellowship today."
Fellowship was everywhere at First Baptist, from the volunteers spread out at tables to engage with visitors dining in to the volunteers delivering food and offering to pray at the door.
Last year, the church was closed for in-person dining but prepared nearly 300 meals for delivery and pick-up.
"It's been a hard year for so many people and a lot have felt very alone, so to be able to see and greet them, even with masks on, is such a gift," Hatfield said. "We're glad to be back."
Lois and Chuck Lahmeyer attended the dinner at First Baptist Church because they don't have a lot of family around.
Like many others, it was their first time going to church for Thanksgiving.
"We didn't have a family gathering to go to, but this was perfect," Chuck Lahmeyer said. "We see several friends here that we know, so we feel right at home."
In addition to spending the holiday with others, Lois Lahmeyer said she appreciated not having to cook.
In addition to the general public, First Baptist Church invited the congregation from Familia Cristiana Internacional to attend the Thanksgiving feast and help provide live music.
Oscar Vargas, who moved to Jefferson City from Mexico, said he enjoys spending Thanksgiving at the church.
Vargas said the Hispanic church previously had a chapel within First Baptist but has since moved into its own location. The community and connection, however, were never lost.
"In our culture, we don't celebrate this day because it's a holiday in the United States," Vargas said. "When we came here, we started to enjoy this day because, really, we are grateful."
In addition to the more than 200 deliveries, First Baptist was expecting around 300 to dine-in.
To meet demand, chef Michael Ferguson said the kitchen was moving and it was moving fast.
Ferguson prepared roughly 650 pounds of turkey, 13 industrial size pans of corn, 17 pans of green beans, 14 pans of dressing, 700 hot rolls, 65 pies and 20 gallons of gravy.
"If there's a hungry person in Jefferson City, they should come here," he said.
He said it took about two weeks and three teams to get everything prepared. The day of, Ferguson was assisted by his son, Josh, and about 16 other volunteers in the kitchen.
For six years, Ferguson and his family have made volunteering their Thanksgiving tradition, whether it's helping prepare food in the kitchen, deliver meals around town or provide some live entertainment to guests dining in.
"This is our way of giving back," he said.
Gary Hemphill, chairman for First Baptist's Thanksgiving meal, said the event is community in action.
Hemphill said the Thanksgiving meal was about celebrating experiences and immersion in community, which they weren't able to do quite as well last year.
"It has been so good to come back and see my community and that they're all doing the same thing - they're giving their time, but they're sharing themselves," Hemphill said.
Hatfield said it's not just about providing food, but providing friendship as well.
"Our vision here is to be Christ's love and hope, and that comes in meeting needs and enjoying friendship with one another," she said. "That's the secret sauce to the meal."
The Salvation Army was also back with in-person dining this year.
Krystal Watts, assistant director and case manager at the Salvation Army, said their Thanksgiving meals went well with a plethora of volunteers and people to serve.
Between lunch and dinner, Watts said teams of eight to 10 volunteers helped deliver or serve about 200 Thanksgiving meals.
Like the churches, the Salvation Army closed its dine-in option last year because of the pandemic. Watts said she was happy to see it back.
"I think it's a blessing," she said. "It definitely shows that this is important to do because they value it so much, just to have that time to sit down and eat hot meals. Being able to provide that for them really is a statement."
Shirley Saville, a resident at Salvation Army Center of Hope Shelter, said she was having a wonderful Thanksgiving because the Salvation Army went above and beyond to provide a wide array of food to eat.
Her plate was filled with turkey, ham, stuffing, yams, mashed potatoes and more.
"This place, I wouldn't know what to have done without them," she said. "They are blessings, all of them, and I'm very thankful."