Around 2,000 dinners served at 55th annual Topeka Community Thanksgiving Dinner

TOPEKA, Kan. (WIBW) - Around 2,000 dinners were served at the 55th annual TopekaCommunity Thanksgiving Dinner on Thursday.

Of that number, around 1,700 meals were delivered to area homes by volunteers, while the other 300 meals were served to people who turned out in person at the Agriculture Hall at the Stormont Vail Events Center, near S.W. 17th and Tyler.

Organizers earlier said they expected around 1,000 people to be at Ag Hall for the dinner. They attributed the lower-than-expected turnout to possible carryover from the COVID pandemic -- which prevented the in-person meal in 2020 and 2021 -- as well as several other Thanksgiving dinners being offered Thursday in the Topeka community.

The dinner included turkey; dressing; mashed potatoes and gravy; green beans; yams; rolls and butter; pumpkin pie; and drinks.

Thursday was the first time since 2019 the Community Thanksgiving Dinner was held in-person at Ag Hall.

In 2020, at the height of the COVID pandemic, frozen Hungry Man turkey dinners were distributed at locations across Topeka.

In 2021, meals were prepared at Ag Hall before they were delivered by volunteers.

The dinner, which is run entirely by volunteers, dates back to 1968, with early leaders including Grant Cushinberry, Addie Spicer and Pauline Johnson, who died earlier this year at the age of 95.

***************************

KATHY OLSON

COMMUNITY THANKSGIVING DINNER VOLUNTEER

GERALD ROBINSON JR.

COMMUNITY THANKSGIVING DINNER ATTENDEE

MYRON JOHNSON

COMMUNITY THANKSGIVING DINNER OGANIZER

******

:00 Phil

ANOTHER COMMUNITY THANKSGIVING DINNER IS IN THE BOOKS, AND ONCE AGAIN THIS YEAR, MEMBERS OF THE TOPEKA COMMUNITY CAME TOGETHER TO SHOW THEIR GRATITUDE FOR ALL THE BLESSINGS THEY’VE BEEN GIVEN ...

ON THURSDAY MORNING, VOLUNTEERS USED THEIR OWN VEHICLES TO DELIVER SOME 1,700 MEALS TO HOMES ACROSS THE TOPEKA AREA ...

:16, KATHY OLSON

OH, IT’S JUST KINDA FUN ... AND WE LIKE TO DO SOMETHING FOR THE COMMUNITY ...

:21, PHIL

ANOTHER 300 PEOPLE CAME TO THE STORMONT VAIL EVENTS CENTER AGRICULTURE HALL NEAR S.W. 17TH AND TYLER, WHERE THEY DINED TOGETHER ...

:30, GERALD ROBINSON JR.

MY THOUGHTS ARE IT’S A BEAUTIFUL THING THAT WE’RE HELPING THE COMMUNITY OUT ... I THANK TOPEKA ... I THANK GOD AND EVERYTHING ... IT’S A WONDERFUL GET-TOGETHER FOR EVERYBODY AND GOD BLESS AND HAPPY THANKSGIVING TO EVERYONE ...

:39, PHIL

THURSDAY WAS THE FIRST TIME IN THREE YEARS THAT THE COMMUNITY THANKSGIVING DINNER WAS HELD IN PERSON ...

IN 2020, AT THE HEIGHT OF THE COVID PANDEMIC, FROZEN HUNGRY MAN TURKEY DINNERS WERE HANDED OUT FOR THANKSGIVING AT LOCATIONS ACROSS TOPEKA ...

THEN IN 2021, ABOUT 2,400 MEALS WERE PREPARED AT AG HALL BEFORE VOLUNTEERS DELIVERED THEM TO HOMES IN THE TOPEKA AREA...

ORGANIZERS SAID THEY WERE THRILLED TO HAVE PEOPLE BACK IN PERSON FOR THURSDAY’S MEAL ...

1:05 MYRON JOHNSON

IT’S EXCITING, BECAUSE WE KNOW THAT THERE WAS A LOT OF PEOPLE WHO DIDN’T HAVE PLACES TO GO WHILE WE WERE SHUT DOWN ... LAST YEAR WE WERE ABLE TO DELIVER ... SO WE INCREASED OUR DELIVERY ... BUT, NO, IT WILL BE NICE TO SEE PEOPLE IN HERE AGAIN, BUSTLING AROUND THE AG HALL ANDN SHARING THEIR DINNER AND SAYING “HI” TO PEOPLE THEY DON’T SEE EVERY YEAR EITHER ... SO IT’S REALLY EXCITING ...

1:21, PHIL

BEFORE THURSDAY’S DINNER, ORGANIZERS SAID THEY EXPECTED A CROWD OF ABOUT 1,000 PEOPLE TO COME TO AG HALL FOR THE MEAL ...

THEY SAID THE LOWER NUMBER OF AROUND 300 PEOPLE MAY HAVE BEEN THE RESULT OF A CARRYOVER FROM THE COVID PANDEMIC, WHICH PREVENTED PEOPLE FROM COMING TOGETHER FOR THE MEAL IN PERSON IN BOTH 2020 AND 2021 ...AS WELL AS OTHER THANKSGIVING DINNERS TAKING PLACE THURSDAY ACROSS THE TOPEKA COMMUNITY ...

AND THOUGH THE IN-PERSON CROWD WASN’T AS HIGH AS EXPECTED, COMMUNITY THANKSGIVING DINNER ORGANIZERS SAID EXTRA FOOD WOULD GO TO THE TOPEKA RESCUE MISSION AND LET’S HELP ...

THURSDAY’S MEAL WAS THE 55TH ANNUAL COMMUNITY THANKSGIVING DINNER IN TOPEKA ...

THE DINNER DATES BACK TO 1968 AND HAS ALWAYS BEEN RUN BY VOLUNTEERS ...

EARLY LEADERS INCLUDED GRANT CUSHINBERRY, ADDIE SPICER AND PAULINE JOHNSON, WHO DIED EARLIER THIS YEAR AT THE AGE OF 95 ...

MYRON JOHNSON, THE SON OF PAULINE JOHNSON, SAID HE BELIEVES HIS MOTHER WAS LOOKING DOWN ON THE EVENT ON THURSDAY ...

2:02, MYRON JOHNSON

I’M SURE THAT SHE’S WISHING US THE BEST IN ALL THIS ... IT HAD BEEN A FEW YEARS SINCE SHE ACTUALLY STIRRED A POT, AND THERE’S SOME OTHER PEOPLE WHO PICKED UP THE SLACK BUT, NO, SHE’S GOING TO ALWAYS BE WITH US ... WE’RE GOING TO MAKE SURE THAT EVERY YEAR WE REMEMBER THOSE WHO WENT BEFORE US ... AND STARTED THIS ALL OUT ... NO SHE’S PROBABLY JUST FUSSING THAT WE GOT A SPILL ON THE FLOOR OVER THERE AND WE DIDN’T PUT ENOUGH OF SOMETHING ON A PLATE FOR SOMEBODY... AND YOU KNOW, WE HAVE TO FEED THE BABIES AND ALL THAT ... SHE’S IN OUR HEARTS AND WE’RE GLAD TO BE OUT HERE AND BE ABLE TO JUST KEEP THIS UP ...

2:47, PHIL

WITH PHOTOJOURNALIST ERIC IVES, THIS IS PHIL ANDERSON, 13 NEWS ...

:

Copyright 2022 WIBW. All rights reserved.