Faribault Thanksgiving Dinner Another Lesson In Community

The Faribault Community Thanksgiving Dinner was another success with scores of volunteers assisting again this year.  Julie Fox and Laura McColley took over getting the food donations and the same formula of no sign up sheets was used.  It all was completed without a hitch.  427 meals were delivered throughout the Faribault community and 882 people were served at the Faribault American Legion.  There were enough volunteers delivering meals to get them delivered within an hour.  It's really hard to explain how it all works each year because it really is like magic.  No sign up sheets, people just show up at the Legion to help prepare and serve the meal.  This truly is a Faribault Community event, with community members serving others in Faribault.  No one organization sponsors.  Food is donated from throughout the community and as Julie and Laura told us on KDHL's AM Minnesota last week, they value everything that's given the same.  From the gallon of milk to the pallet of veggies.  Other communities have Thanksgiving dinners.  Some are hosted by the Salvation Army and some are put together by other organizations.  In Faribault those receiving meals also receive a "goodie bag" including bread and turkey for a snack, another piece of pie and an apple.  For the first time in the quarter century plus the event has been held ice cream was donated for those eating at the Legion.  There were so many people delivering meals I only got the opportunity to deliver to two places.  Six meals went to an apartment in a home on the east side near the historic viaduct and the other in a townhouse past the former Wilson Center where the woman recalled sitting next to me at the funeral of a mutual friend a few years ago.  She knew where I lived and who I bought my house from and everything.  We had a nice chat about attitude and how important it is in healing.  She had brain surgery several months back and had mobility issues.  She had to relearn how to speak.  A very nice woman who didn't have to cook on Thanksgiving because of Faribault's community effort.  I have the feeling I got more out of our visit than she did.  My dad always used to say getting older isn't for wimps.  Basically she told me the same thing only not in those exact words.  But her sage advice about attitude and healing is something I can use the rest of my days.  It's not heroic to volunteer for this, it's simply the right thing to do.  If the Lord let's me live to be that age and I'm lucky enough to be living in my own home, I hope this event will still be going on and someone can deliver me a meal.  That's what community is all about!