Meals, fellowship offered on holiday

Churches, organization offer free meals for Thanksgiving

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BROOKINGS – Thanksgiving is a time to relax with family, eat good food, and count your blessings. But what happens when you don’t have family or food? 

You can have a meal at GracePoint Wesleyan Church, Brookings United Church of Christ or Our Savior Lutheran Church or pick something up in advance at Feeding Brookings, which operates out of Ascension Lutheran Church.

You don’t have to be in need to participate. GracePoint, Our Savior and United Church of Christ serve meals to anyone who wants a little company on Thanksgiving Day. Feeding Brookings takes donations of food and money and distributes it to those who sign up.

Fellowship and food

The churches extend the hospitality as a way of spreading the spirit of the season.

Our Savior Lutheran has been hosting a holiday meal for 15 years.

“Thanksgiving is one of those times where it (is) nice to be with family,” the Rev. Ken Brokmeier said in an e-mail to the Register. “When we moved here from (Wisconsin) in the fall of 2000, we decided that we would like to still be with family for Thanksgiving – only now it would be with our church family.

“It is a local congregational thing in which we simply invite any of our members, college students or friends of our congregation who don’t have a place to go for Thanksgiving to join us,” Brokmeier said. He hosts the event with his wife at noon Thanksgiving Day.

GracePoint has been dishing up a holiday meal for nine years, said Serenity Miller, ministry assistant for the church. The meal is served from noon to 1:30 p.m. at the church, located at 1420 Orchard Drive.

“The gathering was originally coordinated by two of our church members, Dick and Deb Wilde, specifically as an outreach to international students at SDSU who were here in Brookings over the holiday,” Miller said in an e-mail to the Register

“The idea came about when their own son was attending school in another country and couldn’t make it home. A family there welcomed in their son and showed such love and hospitality that the Wildes were inspired to do the same for students here in Brookings who were far from home and loved ones,” Miller said.

Brookings United Church of Christ’s Thanksgiving Day meal will be served from 11 a.m.-1 p.m. Thursday at the church at 828 Eighth St. S., according to its website. It will also serve as a fundraiser of sorts.

“There is no charge for the meal,” the UCC website says. “However, free-will donations are accepted with this year’s proceeds going to our church administrator, Jennifer Kemper, who recently lost her home to Hurricane Harvey in Port Arthur, Texas. Please join us for good food and fun, and help Jennifer rebuild in South Dakota”

Call 697-2882 or 693-4589 for more information.

For the lonely

GracePoint’s Thanksgiving Day meal is open to anyone who’s looking for a hot meal that day, Miller said. 

“It’s an open invitation for students, seniors, individuals, families, folks who are new to town, folks staying at local hotels … anyone at all who’s interested in a big, family-style Thanksgiving Day dinner with turkey, ham and everything that goes with it.”

They’ve been able to make memories.

“One year, it snowed so much that the interstate was shut down, and we were able to open the doors to welcome in many stranded travelers who came and broke bread as a part of our community that day,” she added.

Our Savior ministers to those who need a place to go.

“We are especially mindful of our members who are homebound and don’t really have a place to go for Thanksgiving,” Brokmeier said. “Over the years, I would often go and pick them up and after the meal give them a ride home.”

The church has also invited widows or widowers who have become regular attendees, college students who have to stay in Brookings for the holiday weekend, couples and single persons who want to spend the day with others.

Generosity

Almost all the food GracePoint serves is donated by the congregation, Miller said.

“The whole meal is prepared by volunteers who get together to love our community with food and fellowship,” Miller said.

Last year, GracePoint’s 50-plus volunteers served nearly 300 meals on-site at the church and delivered more than 125 meals around town.

For those who would like a meal delivered, Miller said to call the church office at 692-6671 or e-mail communitylife@gracepointwesleyan.org. Let them know how many meals you want, the address where they can be delivered, and a contact phone number “in case our delivery drivers need help finding the address,” Miller said.

Our Savior usually has a more intimate gathering with about 12-30 people.

Planning ahead is key to making sure they have enough to feed everyone. 

“We simply ask those members and students who are joining us to sign up by the Sunday before so we know about how much food to have on hand. By asking our members, college students and friends of our congregation to RSVP – we have a pretty good idea of about how much food to prepare,” Brokmeier said.

Feeding Brookings has been preparing for its food distribution by asking churches to provide donations of “Thanksgiving trimmings” and money, Liz Thomsen, intern coordinator, said in an e-mail to the Register

Donations are used to purchase turkeys from Hy-Vee, and each participating family received a “coupon” from the church on Nov. 9 or Nov. 16. The families can use the coupon to pick up their turkey at Hy-Vee before Nov. 30.

Nov. 22 is the distribution.

“During this time, we will have our normal food items to give out, and also a separate section dedicated to our Thanksgiving trimmings that were so graciously donated. Each family will receive enough of each item to create a Thanksgiving meal to enjoy with family and friends,” Thomsen said.

She asked that the community spread the word. Anyone who can’t afford a big Thanksgiving meal is welcome to come through the line.

Donations are greatly appreciated, Thomsen added, but labor is taken care of already. 

“Due to the generosity of the community, all of our volunteer spots are full during our Thanksgiving distribution day, so we won’t necessarily need any more help the day of.”

Lots of work, lots of reward

“While it is work, we treasure the joy and appreciation expressed by those who have attended,” Brokmeier said, crediting the clean-up crew for making quick work of the aftermath. 

“In recent years, others who are able often bring something to share at the meal – sort of like a Thanksgiving potluck. Besides, having done this for over 15 years – it is now a tradition,” he said. 

GracePoint also has special memories.

“The stories we’ve heard and shared around this gathering are so near and dear to the hearts of those who serve,” Miller said. “For some, this meal has been an introduction to Brookings, to church, and to lasting connections in community and service to one another.” 

That includes Miller’s family.

“This has become the family Thanksgiving tradition for many of us, my husband and me included. Vounteering to help with the Thanksgiving Day meal was one of the first ways we began to get connected when we started attending GracePoint together,” Miller said. “It’s been our family Thanksgiving every year since then, along with many others who’ve served year after year.”

Contact Jodelle Greiner at jgreiner@brookingsregister.com.

Photos courtesy of GracePoint Wesleyan Church.