By JOE JASTRZEMSKI
Contributing Writer
Thanksgiving was celebrated by the Care and Share program at Royal Redeemer Lutheran Church, although it looked and operated differently than in other years.
For the past 30 years, the dining hall at the Church was filled with families and with those who had nowhere else to go on Thanksgiving Day.
Year number 31, because of the pandemic, took on a different look, although the dedication of the volunteers stayed the same.
The dinners served to 1,300 people on Thanksgiving Day came in a white container and were delivered to those who requested a meal by volunteers. Others came to the church to pick up a turkey dinner with all the fixings.
“We had 49 drivers who volunteered their time to deliver meals. That was more than last year,” said Lisa Martin, who is in charge of the Care & Share event. “The delivery drivers were not allowed into the building. They were assigned a number. They put that number on the dashboard of their vehicle. We matched up that number with the number of meals they had to deliver. We loaded the meals into their trunk and the drivers went on their way.”
Martin said this year’s meal number was down just a bit because of the pandemic. “It was like we were flying blind, not knowing how all of this was going to work. So I cut the number off at 1,300.”
Inside the gymnasium, there were “assembly lines” set up to place the turkey, potatoes and fixings into the white containers. They were boxed up and delivered to another set of volunteers who put them on carts and delivered them to the vehicles.
The process operated like a well-oiled machine.
“In some ways, it was smoother than in the past,” said Martin. “We learned some things that we will incorporate next year.”
Even in this pandemic, those who volunteered in the past, came again this year. They wore face coverings and put their focus on serving those in need.
Brian Barish, who has volunteered for nine years on Thanksgiving Day, felt very safe while working inside the gym. “We’re socially distanced. We’re wearing masks. There are many people who are in a tough spot.” Steve Barish, Brian’s brother, said, “when they asked me to volunteer, I didn’t think twice. There are a lot of people in need, especially this year.” Steve has been a volunteer for the past 12 years.
Brecksville resident, John Olsen, volunteered to deliver meals for a second year. “I feel very grateful and I just want to help people on Thanksgiving.”
David and Suzanne Bielefeld and their son Evan made it a family event to deliver meals on Thanksgiving Day. “We have the time and we want to give back. We are so grateful and we want to help those who are battling through COVID.”
This year, as in other years, Pastor John Zahrte’s message has been “to reflect Christ’s love and share it with those around us.” That love was shared by the drivers, volunteers and assembly line workers on Thanksgiving Day 2020.
What form will year number 32 take for Care & Share? Much too early to tell. But if this year’s spirit is any indication, Care & Share will be back.