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A hospitality crew, including these teen volunteers, decorated the Riverview Room at Riverside Community Church in preparation for Thanksgiving dinner guests.
More than 300 meals to 80 families were delivered by volunteers at Riverside Community Church in Hood River on Nov. 24. Another 100 guests were served in the Riverview Room at the church.
Riverside Community Church, United Church of Christ, hosted their sixth free Community Thanksgiving dinner Nov. 24 in Hood River. More than 90 volunteers were involved in the project.
More than 300 meals were delivered to 80 families, and another 100 meals were served to guests in the church’s Riverview Room.
More than 300 meals to 80 families were delivered by volunteers at Riverside Community Church in Hood River on Nov. 24. Another 100 guests were served in the Riverview Room at the church.
Photo courtesy Kathy Watson
A hospitality crew, including these teen volunteers, decorated the Riverview Room at Riverside Community Church in preparation for Thanksgiving dinner guests.
Photo courtesy Kathy Watson
The church’s free Thanksgiving dinner tradition started in 2015 after the development of a full-service commercial kitchen in the church’s education and hospitality wing. During the pandemic years, 2020 and 2021, the congregation delivered home-cooked dinners through its “Family to Family” project.
“This was our first post-pandemic year offering the community-wide dinner. We learned from our Family to Family project that many folk would rather receive the dinner in their homes than come down to the church, so we did both,” said Pastor Vicky Stifter.
More than 90 volunteers prepared and served food at the Riverside Community Church in Hood River on Thanksgiving Day.
Photo courtesy Kathy Watson
Local businesses contributing to the project include: Romul’s, who gave 20 turkeys, and Rosauers, Safeway, Farm Stand and Ryan’s Juice. Providence Hospital, Gorge Ecumenical Ministries, Spirit of Grace and the Unitarians made cash contributions. FISH Food Bank shared its kitchen for some of the food prep, and contributed food.
A planning team of nine people led by Riverside’s Kathryn Murray spent two months seeking donations, organizing volunteers and planning deliveries.
Local retired chef James Holloway led a team of 24 in preparing the dinner.
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