In the days before Thanksgiving, Capt. Jared Starnes, pastor and administrator of the Boyertown Salvation Army, did a lot of thinking about the holiday and its meaning.
“I was thinking about Thanksgiving, I was like, ‘What does the word Thanksgiving mean?’” he shared with the volunteers and guests Thursday at the organization’s annual Thanksgiving dinner.
Turning to the dictionary’s definition, Starnes noted: “It’s a public acknowledgement or celebration of divine goodness, or the act of giving thanks or a prayer that expresses gratitude. And these ideas of Thanksgiving are exactly what we should be thinking about and celebrating today, right?”
After the reflection, Starnes launched into a prayer of thanksgiving and devotional message before volunteers began serving the traditional meal of turkey, potato filling and more.
“Sometimes we kind of forget how to be thankful,” he concluded, “but it’s something that we can show every day, not just on Thanksgiving Day, real spiritual thanksgiving is directed towards God for things he’s done in the past, for how he’s working with us right now, and what he will do for us in the future, right? So today, we have a lot to be thankful for, right?”
As the pastor spoke, David and Nancy Lyttle of Exeter Township sat at a table, nodding their heads in agreement.
Guests at the dinner, the couple, ages 75 and 81, respectively, have much for which they are grateful, Nancy Lyttle said.
The delicious food prepared by volunteers and the company of the other guests in the facility’s cozy social hall, 409 S. Reading Ave., Boyertown, were at the top of their list Thursday afternoon.
Extended family had other plans for the holiday and without the Salvation Army, they would have eaten alone, she said, expressing her gratitude to the many volunteers who cooked and served the food.
The organization has been serving a Thanksgiving meal for 25 years or more, some of the volunteers noted.
For Starnes and his wife, Kirsten, this was their second at the facility.
The church typically feeds 200 or more people who might otherwise go without or be alone on the holiday, he said.
About 10 turkeys were cooked by an employee during the week, Starnes said, but a crew of about 30 volunteers stepped up for the reheating, rest of the cooking, serving and cleaning up.
“We could not do this without our volunteers,” he said emphatically.
Eileen and Frank Dutcher of Boyertown lost count of how many years they have volunteered. They bustled about Thursday, serving the seated guests with platters piled high with turkey and sides.
The couple were recruited years ago by longtime volunteers Betty and Ed Kulp of Pike Township, who have been helping with the event for nearly a quarter century.
The Kulps were busy this year as part of an assembly line packing to-go meals and handing them to awaiting guests with a cheery greeting of “Happy Thanksgiving.”
Even though Thanksgiving has been celebrated in America since the 17th century, Starnes noted, it did not become a federal holiday until June 28, 1870, when President Ulysses S. Grant signed it into a law.
Starnes urged the assembly to reflect on all the reasons to give thanks.
“I hope today, as we sit around these tables with friends, families and maybe someone that you don’t know, that we take time to remember and act thankful,” he said.
The Salvation Army was just one of several organizations and businesses that stepped up to offer food, companionship or both for the holiday.
Things got off to an early start Thursday morning at the Marvel Ranch, 359 Penn St., where the Reading High School basketball team and their coaches and families handed out more than 150 to-go meals within an hour, said Cheryl Burton, owner of the corner restaurant known for its burgers and comfort food.
At the 5th Street Barbershop, 146 S. Fifth St., the Rev. Alex Lopez, shop owner and pastor of Jesus is the Path of Salvation church, also on the premises, was up early getting ready for the shop’s 13th annual Thanksgiving meal giveaway.
Traditionally, church volunteers serve takeaway meals under a tent outside the shop, but the cold rain forced this year’s event indoors.
To accommodate the long tables groaning under the weight of sliced turkey, mashed potatoes, rice and other fixings, the crew moved all the barber chairs and equipment out of the shop and into the church.
“The rain kind of messed us up, but we do what we have to do,” Lopez said. “We do it for the people.”
