Last modified: Saturday, November 29, 2008 10:29 PM PST Community dinners a success Thursday By Katie Pizza Argus Observer Ontario — Church representatives and community dinner organizers said they were thankful for the continued interest and support of community volunteers who helped keep smiles on area residents’ faces and food in their stomachs this Thanksgiving. “We were hugely successful,” First Christian Church Pastor Frank Moloney said. “We did really good.” Moloney said area churches including Bethany Presbyterian, Community United Methodist, First Baptist, First Christian, First Methodist, St. Paul Lutheran, St. Matthew’s Episcopal, Christian Life Fellowship, Love INC and Harvest House Missions banded together to help area residents have a happy Thanksgiving. Moloney said there were 132 volunteers this year, so many, a color-coded badge system had to be developed so everyone who wanted to could have a hand in doling out gravy or scooping mashed potatoes. Without the system, he said, volunteers would enjoy themselves so much they would not stop, as other volunteers waited their turn. “Nobody would stop working,” he said. “People were saying, ‘It’s my turn to help.’ ” The badges represented a certain time frame. When the hour was up for those wearing green badges, for example, those wearing blue badges would step up to the plates. “The response was amazing,” he said. “Especially on Thanksgiving. You’d think that more people would rather stay home with their families.” Moloney said 263 people were served from 11 a.m. to 3 p.m., including homeless people and those who just did not want to spend Thanksgiving alone. Pastors James and Tammy Vogt stood ready at the phone lines, waiting to bring plates of food to home-bound area residents who still wanted to enjoy the holiday. Moloney said each participating church was responsible for bringing a “menu item,” such as relish trays, stuffing or dessert, with First Christian providing the venue and clean-up. “It was all donated,” he said. “I had to spend about $60 on incidental items.” The church, Moloney said, is also involved in Next Chapter food bank and offers dinners every Wednesday. He said attendance at these dinners has doubled in the last six months. One meal recipient, Maloney said, is only allocated 20 hours a week by her employer and had to choose between putting food on the table for herself and her two children, ages 3 and 5, or putting gas in her car to go to work. “No woman should have to make those kind of choices,” he said. Other area community dinners focused on filling a void as they filled stomachs. “Their families are off, grown and away from home,” Nyssa Community Dinner organizer Mary Shelton said of Nyssa attendees. Shelton said she began holding the dinners after opting not to do “the whole nine yards” for just herself and her son, Shiloh Shelton, 18. The dinner, she said, has become her Thanksgiving dinner, with Shiloh, who currently attends Treasure Valley Community College, cooking all five turkeys and six hams. “It’s just great,” she said. “I love to see the smiles.” Shelton said the dinner was held at Eagles Hall in Nyssa, and about 20 volunteers served 80 to 85 people, not including delivery and takeout. “I would just like to say thank you to the community for their support, their love and their donations,” she said. Vale resident Michael Bannon, who organizes a community dinner at the Starlite Cafe in Vale each year, also spoke about the need for such an event. “The holidays are just such a hard time for people,” he said. “It’s a place for people to come that have nobody to be with.” Bannon said a total of 18 people served about 150 people at the dinner. He said he has seen the number of people attending jump up by about 50 from last year. “There were six turkeys and two hams, fresh mashed potatoes, stuffing, green beans (and) salads people brought in,” he said. “And copious amounts of pie.”