Sun, Nov 22 2009
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Businesses, volunteers provide holiday meals all across the county By CARL E. FEATHER - Lifestyle Editor - cfeather@starbeacon.com Star Beacon For more than 30 years, members of St. Peter’s Episcopal Church on South Main in Ashtabula have done the Christian thing and reached out to the city’s indigent and lonely persons on Thanksgiving Day. Diane Podgorny has helped coordinate this outreach for many of those years. She says the number of home-delivered meals was down this year, but they still expected to feed more than 200 persons during the two-hour period.
A first-time visitor to the meal said he’s all alone and didn’t know what he would have done for Thanksgiving if St. Peters had not provided the meal. He said it had “been a while” since he’d enjoyed a hot meal like the one placed before him. Two nascent ventures in the city tried to build attendance by reaching into neighborhoods not served by the other outreaches. At Peoples Missionary Baptist Church, Florence Jones and her daughter Darla Jones, served several dozen free meals to “anybody who’s lonely, homeless, elderly or just doesn’t want to be alone on the holiday.” Jones said this was the second year for the meal, which is sponsored by the congregation. It also was the second Thanksgiving Day meal Jones prepared this holiday. “I cooked my meal at home last night,” she said, adding that her family was probably eating it even as she waited for guests to arrive at the church. “I told my husband ‘Make sure you save some for me,’” Jones said. Dolly Jones, owner of Doxie Deli in Ashtabula Harbor, did not have to worry about having something left over to nibble on for the next day — or weeks, for that matter. She roasted 160 pounds of chicken for her first attempt at a free holiday meal. Food for the feast was donated by area vendors and the entire event came together in a matter of four days. Jones said although times are hard on Bridge Street, the other merchants were extremely generous in donating to the cause. Several stopped in to assist her with the meal, which she saw as a way of giving back to a community that gives them a livelihood. “It’s good to do something for somebody else,” she said. The spirit of giving back also was expressed at Crazy Dave’s Sugar Bowl Restaurant in Conneaut, where owner Dave Jones recruited dozens of family members, employees and friends to help prepare and serve a free meal in the tradition of the late Roy Stewart. The late restaurateur would always welcome the community to his establishment, Roy’s Restaurant, on Thanksgiving Day. With an hour left to serve, Jones estimated they had served 200 meals, either in the Mill Street restaurant or through carry-outs. While Jones did the cooking and coordination, the provisions came from the community. Jones said vendors and individuals alike were extremely generous in donating food, including 20 turkeys, for the traditional Thanksgiving Day dinner. The meal, which Jones says would cost about $7 as a regular restaurant item, was free, but donations were accepted. Jones plans to give the donations to Conneaut’s Right Track program. Dinners were served from a buffet line manned by some of the jolliest volunteers in the county. “We keep it lively in here,” said Tim Buchholz, who’s related to Jones. “The first thing we do is smile. As long as we can put a smile on their face, we’re happy. We’re having a good old time. When you are giving your time and services, you can’t help but have a good time.” Volunteers from Conneaut Fire Station Four and the Port Conneaut Credit Union assisted on the serving line. 
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