A Thankful Community
Most of Butler was quiet Thursday as most shops closed their doors and people gathered with friends and family for Thanksgiving.
But in the parish hall of St. Peter Roman Catholic Church on Franklin Street — where an annual Thanksgiving community meal took place — “quiet” did not exist.
That's not to say the dinner was chaotic. Volunteer Denny Offstein described the mood as “bubbly and happy.”
“It's a thanksgiving,” Offstein said. “You want people to feel ... welcome.”
While the dinner is held in St. Peter's hall, it's carried out by 75 to 100 volunteers from all walks of local life.
Offstein worships at B'nai Abraham Synagogue and volunteers for local churches, including St. Peter.
Mason Menell, who led this year's dinner volunteers, said the event is not about any one religion; it's about the community.
“(It's for) everybody and anybody (who) needs something today,” Menell said. “Here, everybody is under one roof.”
Menell isn't a parishioner at a Catholic church in Butler, but his grandmother was.
“I do this in her honor,” Menell said.
This was Menell's first full year as head volunteer, although he's been involved with the dinner for some time.He said his journey began when he felt his family was becoming too involved with the commercialism of the holidays.“We started donating all our time every Thanksgiving,” Menell said.The Thanksgiving meal is really a weeklong affair. Volunteers officially begin working Tuesday of Thanksgiving week, although planning is done a year in advance.The first step is defrosting and cleaning turkeys. On Wednesday, the turkeys are cooked, cooled and cut, so by Thursday, they can be served without a problem.Menell said 101 birds were cooked for this year's dinner.The dinner menu hits all the Thanksgiving classics, according to Menell: Turkey, stuffing, mashed potatoes, cranberry sauce and green beans are cooked on-site. Food is donated whole or bought with donations.Baked goods like bread and pies are bought or donated separately by people in the community.Some donors and volunteers are local business owners, such as Offstein. Others are local residents.And for as long as anyone has been involved, the dinner has never run out of food.“Loaves and fishes,” said Megan Ratica, a local teacher and annual volunteer. “It truly is loaves and fishes.”
Last year, an estimated 1,750 people were served.Attendance is monitored by a greeter standing by the door and the person who stocks dinner plates.People can have their meal in the hall, take them home or get them delivered. The meal committee only asks that visitors register ahead of time, so enough food can be prepared.“Just so we don't waste any,” Menell said. “We don't turn anybody away.”Part of the goal, according to Ratica, is to teach younger generations how to be good citizens. Children are a big part of the event, from decorating the hall to cooking dinner.“(It's) training that younger generation,” Ratica said. “Just as good humans, this is what you do.”Lauren Russo is 21 years old and a Point Park University student from Butler. This year, she volunteered to work the serving line.“The first year that I did it, they didn't really have volunteers,” Russo said.Russo has watched the dinner grow in both volunteers and visitors.For her, the meal has become a family tradition. She works the dinner alongside her parents and extended family.Russo said doing so helps her to be there for people who don't have family with whom to spend Thanksgiving.“It's important to give back to your community because not everyone is as fortunate as you are,” Russo said. “And it's important to recognize that.”
Offstein said he volunteers because God has blessed him with a good life.Offstein takes his volunteer position as meal greeter seriously: He dresses up and ushers visitors into the hall with a smile.“I want to show them they're welcome,” Offstein said.Menell, Ratica and Offstein agreed community involvement — and generosity — is paramount to making sure the dinner remains part of the local Thanksgiving tradition.“You learn to communicate. And you learn that everybody has a story,” Ratica said. “It just works.”The dinner might end at 1 p.m., but that doesn't mean the work does.Menell had 40 dinners to deliver when his volunteer shift ended. Some workers also bring leftovers to people who work on Thanksgiving Day, such as first responders and hospital staff. Others scrub the kitchen and clean the parish hall.And then the planning for next year begins. Flyers at Thursday's dinner advertised a 6 p.m. Jan. 21 meeting at St. Peter to review this year's event — and to discuss next year's.“We want this packed,” Menell said, looking at the church hall. “This is the best part of it, seeing all the people.”
