First Reformed Church prepares for 19th-annual Thanksgiving meal
By HOLLY GASKILL
Preparing Thanksgiving dinner is no small feat for any cook, but it takes a small army to assemble First Reformed Church of Bluffton’s annual community meal.
Last year, the group served 868 meals.
Mara Jo Williams, who helps lead the annual effort, said the group begins food prep several weeks before Thanksgiving, pre-cooking and freezing batches of turkey. On Saturday morning, roughly 20 volunteers gathered at the church to decorate, bake another batch of turkeys, and assemble other parts of the meal.
The group doesn’t shortchange any of the traditional fixings — in addition to turkey, they make stuffing, gravy, mashed potatoes, green beans and more. Williams said her team makes gravy with the turkey stock and dries 80 loaves of bread for stuffing.
“We want to make it a homemade meal,” Williams said. “Something good for your heart.”
Williams’ grocery list includes 250 lbs. of potatoes, 80 dozen rolls, 32 gallons of green beans, 25 lbs. of sour cream, 24 lbs. of cream cheese, 10 lbs. of butter and 15 dozen eggs — all of which were made possible through community donations. Church members have also donated 130 pies for the meal.
It’s a far bigger operation than its beginning 19 years ago when Williams and her sister-in-law, Judy Maxwell, decided they wanted to do “something for the community.” They served 87 meals in that first year — just a tenth of what they expect now.
Williams also expects to have about 60 volunteers on Thanksgiving Day, including church members and non-members alike. In 2023, the group delivered roughly 500 meals — along with those to the fire department and local businesses — throughout Wells County.
The free dinner is open to the community at the church, 301 W Cherry St. in Bluffton. Drive-thru pick-up is available from 11 a.m. to noon and dine-in is available by reservation from 12:30 p.m. to 1:30 p.m. Delivery is also available for those who need it.
Contact the church office, 260-824- 3161, for reservations by Wednesday, Nov. 27.
holly@news-banner.com
