HAPPY THANKSGIVING!
Photo by Tanna Yeoumans Community members gathered at the Community Thanksgiving dinner at the Middle School.
Photo by Tanna Yeoumans Volunteers line up to serve attendees at Sunday’s free Thanksgiving dinner for the community at Boundary County Middle School.
Photo by Tanna Yeoumans Lisa Carle, Jacob and Makayla Hinson, and Henry Yoder showed their support for the community at the Thanksgiving gathering.
BONNERS FERRY — A community Thanksgiving dinner was held at the Boundary County Middle School on Sunday, Nov. 19. The churches of Boundary County paired with community members, and together they were able to host a community-wide meal.
“The churches used to do food boxes for Thanksgiving but then we decided we can feed a lot more people this way by cooking a meal, and it’s for everybody, not just for the needy in town,” said Henry Yoder, pastor of the Amish Christian Church and president of the Boundary County Ministerial Association. “People come here and socialize but the main idea was for the churches to come together and serve the community. It’s not just the churches, it’s everyone. Without the churches and the community working together, this would not come together.”
Last year, the community served about 600 people for the annual get-together and this year they are hoping to have served even more.
“We would like to thank all of the volunteers as well as Tammy Schneider and Lisa Carle for being a great asset in organizing the event,” said Yoder.
The cafeteria at the middle school was filled with laughter and the din of conversation as the community members came together and socialized over the hot meal.
“It’s the one thing I look forward to every year,” said Lisa Carle. “I do a lot of things during the season, but this is the one thing that I really look forward to. It’s just serving the community, being together, and getting to socialize with your neighbors of all different backgrounds. That’s the best thing for me.”
With the community coming together and showing their support, the upbeat attitudes of the attendees showcased how much it meant to them to attend and be a part of the afternoon with friends and family.
“It’s exciting for me to be involved with this and to see the community work together,” said Yoder. “It’s a community standing together and blessing each other and being able to socialize and fellowship with each other.”
Passers by may have noticed a couple of people standing next to Highway 95 in front of the middle school, dressed in turkey suits and waving signs advertising the event. One of those turkeys was Jacob Hinson, president of the Boundary County Ministerial Association, who lent a large portion of helping hands in this event.
“We put it out to everybody that wants to be involved, and some of them choose not to be involved, and that’s OK,” said Yoder. “It’s free will, whoever wants to be involved and donate can, but there’s quite a few churches that are active in this as well.”
“I think that what we do here is awesome, and in any way that we can come together and serve each other and just be with each other and love on each other a little bit, that’s why I do it,” said Carle. “I think it’s an important thing to do. I think that people look forward to it and I think that it puts us in the right frame of mind where we’re serving each other and fellowshipping with each other. We live in an amazing place, so I do it to give back to the community that I live in because I love it so much here.”
Given the gleeful attitude of the attendants of both of these celebratory events for the season, the community has not only come together to help one another, but they have shown their support for everyone in fellowship, donations, and companionship.
“It’s that time of the year where people want to do something,” said Carle. “It makes all of us feel good when we are serving each other and that’s what God wants us to do and that’s the example that Christ set for us.”
With a tight knit community like the one in Boundary County, all anyone has to do is ask and the community always responds with open arms and support. These qualities were showcased, yet again, to the residents of Boundary County through the various volunteers and support provided for the season’s celebrations.