Community effort serves Thanksgiving dinner to hundreds

GREENWICH - Preparations were made Wednesday in Washington County where a few concerned citizens are bringing a happy Thanksgiving to about 200 people.

It started last Thanksgiving when a couple of friends were looking for a nearby place to volunteer with their children. When they didn't find one, they created their own community Thanksgiving dinner.

Some of the cooking takes place at the VFW hall. Some of it is in the private kitchens of a small group of friends.

These friends aren't part of a church or social group. They're bound by compassion for others.

"We are not part of any organized group at all. We're just a few moms and dads that got together with our kids," said organizer Amy McPhail.

"I think that's what makes it so wonderful, that we just said, 'Let's just do something. Let's do something to bring our community even closer,'" volunteer Beth Anthony added.

They say the whole idea stems from the concept of "random of acts of kindness," the notion of helping others in small ways when they don't expect it. The idea has caught on in just one year.

"People came out of the woodwork. 'I want to help, I want to help, I want to help,'" McPhail reported.

When it's all said and done, they'll serve about 200 members of the community -- twice last year's number of seniors, shut-ins and the poor.

Preparing and delivering the meals will be done by about 50 volunteers, including children of all ages.

"This makes my Thanksgiving. I can help somebody else then also come home to my family," Ali Stein said.

"It's nice to help people that don't have money to buy like a turkey and stuff," said 8-year-old Carson Mosher.

"If they don't have money and they can't go buy anything and they don't have dinner, they can just come here and eat," said 5-year-old Aidan McPhail.