Faith community, businesses prepare for holiday dinner
EDMOND — Houses of worship are joining forces with businesses to ensure that a local holiday tradition continues for another year. The 37th annual Edmond Community Thanksgiving Dinner will be Thursday at the University of Central Oklahoma. Gary Smith, one of the dinner’s coordinators, said about 3,700 people were served at last year’s gathering, and he expects a similar-size crowd to show up this year. Smith said dinner organizers are making a big push for more volunteers and more desserts. He said donations of apple, pecan and pumpkin pies (each serving eight) are needed because they have run out of desserts in recent years. The dinner was established in 1981 and initially held in a different Edmond church each year. Eventually, the gathering outgrew the local houses of worship so UCO became the site for the popular event. Smith, a member of the Baha’i Faith Center of Edmond, said in addition to the sit-down dinner at UCO’s Nigh Center Ballroom, dinner organizers also coordinate delivery of meals to people who can’t get to the university. He said those who come to the event or get dinner delivered are treated to a traditional Thanksgiving meal featuring ham, turkey, potatoes, corn and other fixings typically expected at the holiday table. This year, as in years past, businesses are helping to make the dinner a success. Smith said Citizen’s Bank of Edmond has once again donated the turkeys for the dinner. Also, he said several companies are lending refrigerated trucks traditionally used to keep food items for the meal. And local car dealerships lend trucks that help organizers transport the restaurant equipment needed for the annual event.