Like the Pilgrims who started the tradition, members of Peace Lutheran Church in New Lenox are offering a community Thanksgiving feast.
The Thanksgiving holiday is not a family gathering for everyone, so the congregation is moving to fill the gap for those who find themselves alone or in need, according to event organizer George Rumbaugh of Tinley Park.
Rumbaugh said Rev. Dave Hedlin came up with the idea in 1997 and asked him to set it up.
About 60 people, including senior citizens, young mothers and families new to the area, came to the church’s first Thanksgiving feast, and the number grew to 75 last year, he said.
A core committee consisting of Rumbaugh and his wife, Cathy; Debi and Joe Cundari of New Lenox; Carol and Chris Smith of New Lenox; George and Priscilla Huffman of Manhattan; and Joe Walczak of Mokena started planning early this month, drawing up a shopping list and rounding up volunteers.
“A whole kitchen full of people” shows up on Thanksgiving morning, Carol Smith said.
The night before Thanksgiving, the committee was to gather to decorate the church hall, then return in the morning to prepare for the noon dinner and attend a short 11:30 a.m. worship service.
It’s an enjoyable day for the committee as well as for the guests, said Rumbaugh. He and his wife and their six children all attend the dinner.
“You get to meet (more of) the people in the church,” Carol Smith said, “and you get the satisfaction of making the people really happy.”
The Thanksgiving dinner will be held at noon at Peace Lutheran, 1900 E. Lincoln Highway, New Lenox. The dinner is free.