Free Meals A Thanksgiving Tradition

By Caleb Fort

Posted: November 27, 2009 at 4:24 a.m.

Justin Wedgworth
Jose Martinez, right, an Army private stationed at Fort Leonard Wood, Mo., prepares dressing Thursday at the First Baptist Church in Rogers. Martinez volunteered to help the church prepare and deliver 2,400 Thanksgiving meals across the area while visiting family in Rogers.

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ROGERS — Delivering Thanksgiving meals is a family tradition, or at least the beginning of one, Danny Melton said Thursday morning.

Melton, two of his sons and his son-in-law were on the way to their first drop-off of the day with a delivery of three Thanksgiving meals from the First Baptist Church of Rogers.

“It’s a good way for the family to do something together and give back to the community,” Melton said.

The church has been providing free Thanksgiving meals since 2000, said Paul Olinger, a member of the church who started the program.

The church served about 500 meals the first year, he said. This year, the church was set to provide 2,400 meals, he said.

Hundreds of volunteers prepared and delivered the meals, which included ham, mashed potatoes, dressing, green beans, cranberry sauce and homemade pie.

Olinger said the meals had ham instead of turkey because it would be hard to cook enough turkeys.

Olinger attributed the program’s success to the economy and to holiday spirit.

“It’s the time of year when everybody is thinking about how God has blessed them,” he said.

He said the Thanksgiving meals are a good way for affluent members of the community to serve the less fortunate. It’s also a good way for parents to teach their children the value of service, he said.

Sabrina Meyers, waiting to pick up six meals, said she was thankful for the food.

She said she planned to spend a quiet Thanksgiving with her neighbors.

“This church is pretty good to everybody,” she said.

Bentonville’s World Garden and volunteers from The Cobblestone Project were also good to people Thursday.

The year-old restaurant, which doubles as a soup kitchen and helps feed children in orphanages, played host to about 200 volunteers to feed 520 people a meal including turkey, stuffing, green beans, pie and ice cream, all from donated ingredients.

“We’ll feed anybody that’s hungry in Bentonville,” World Garden owner Rick Boosey said Wednesday.

The Cobblestone Project is a nonprofit group dedicated to matching resources with needs, according to the group’s Web site.

The volunteers served the meals at noon, 3 p.m. and 6 p.m.

Al Stehben was volunteering with his family before noon, helping the kitchen prepare for the first diners.

The family planned to have a meal later, but volunteering was their main activity, Stehben said.

“This is what we’ve been looking forward to,” he said.

Samantha Espenschied, eating with her family, said the food was good.

Better than a Thanksgiving meal at home?

“I’m incriminating myself, but yes,” she said.

Boosey said Thursday afternoon that the service was going well.

He said the restaurant would have similar offerings again, maybe before next Thanksgiving.

“If we’ve got the resources, we should take care of people,” Boosey said.

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