Thanksgiving Dinner

St. Paul's United Methodist Church, on Tedrick Drive in Big Pool, will hold a Thanksgiving dinner Saturday from 4 to 7 p.m. The cost is by donation. Children's party set for Friday, Dec. 2 Hilltop Christian Fellowship will hold a community children's Christmas party Friday, Dec. 2, from 6 to 8:30 p.m.   The event will include food, games, crafts, a visit from Santa Claus and a puppet show. The church is at 12624 Trinity Church Drive in Clear Spring. For more information, call 301-842-2225.

There was enough turkey there to put everyone into a tryptophan coma for days. Sixty-one turkeys, 430 pounds of potatoes, 275 pounds of ham, 130 loaves of bread for filling, seven cases of corn and four bushels of apples for homemade applesauce were used for Thursday's meal at the Lemasters Community Center, plus hundreds of dinner rolls. That's quite a hefty amount for a Thanksgiving feast, but it's become a growing tradition for one Mercersburg, Pa., family since 2004. After drawing about 90 people that first year, close to 900 turned out Thursday for the eighth annual free Thanksgiving meal hosted by the Metcalfe family at the center.

Several churches and organizations in the Tri-State area are holding free community Thanksgiving dinners. THURSDAY Waynesboro (Pa.) Area Human Services and The Fellowship of Churches are co-sponsoring a free community Thanksgiving Day dinner from 11 a.m. to 1 p.m. at Evangelical Lutheran Church at 43 S. Church St. in Waynesboro. This will be a traditional Thanksgiving dinner with turkey and the trimmings. There will be a pianist and Christmas caroling. If you are shut-in and need delivery, call 717-762-6941 from 9 a.m. to 3:30 p.m. weekdays.

A number of area organizations are sponsoring Thanksgiving dinners that are free and open to those in need. - The fourth annual Williamsport community Thanksgiving Dinner will be offered on Thursday, Nov. 26, from 11 a.m. to 2 p.m. at 25 E. Church St. The meal will include turkey, mashed potatoes, sauerkraut, stuffing, yams, green beans, gravy, fruit, rolls, corn, cranberry sauce, beverages and dessert. The meal is sponsored by the Williamsport United Methodist Church.

Organizations feed hundreds Thanksgiving dinner By JULIE E. GREENE / julieg@herald-mail.com Turkey, football, shopping, family gatherings and a day off to sleep late come to mind for many people when they think of Thanksgiving, Pastor Ron Shank said at the Hagerstown Union Rescue Mission's Thanksgiving Banquet. continued Shank said people need to remember to thank God on the holiday. Whether motivated by spirituality, not wanting to be alone, or a sense of community, more than 100 people showed up for Thanksgiving dinner Thursday afternoon.

Waynesboro Human Services serves Thanksgiving dinner By STACEY DANZUSO / Staff Writer, Chambersburg WAYNESBORO, Pa. -- Preparing a traditional Thanksgiving feast for 200 people took about three months, but the Waynesboro Human Services Center's annual dinner went off without a hitch Thursday. It was primarily senior citizens alone for the holiday who filtered into Evangelical Lutheran Church's fellowship hall for two hours to enjoy turkey and all the fixings.

Several churches and organizations in the Tri-State area are holding free community Thanksgiving dinners. Tuesday The Salvation Army is hosting a free Thanksgiving dinner at The Salvation Army church at 541 George St. in Hagerstown's West End. The dinner, from 11 a.m. to 1 p.m., will include turkey and the trimmings. Thursday Waynesboro (Pa.) Area Human Services and The Fellowship of Churches are co-sponsoring a free community Thanksgiving Day dinner from 11 a.m. to 1 p.m. at Evangelical Lutheran Church at 43 S. Church St. in Waynesboro.

Joseph Ash, of Martinsburg, W.Va., grew up in Oakland, Md., the sixth of eight children of Robert and Mary Ash. He grew up having to pitch in where needed, such as helping with dinner. Ash said he learned to cook on a wood-burning cook stove. Now he cooks in a more conventional kitchen. Ash has lived with an Italian roommate, Domenick Palmer, for more than 30 years. Ash and Palmer are members of the Dan DiMucci Lodge of the Sons and Daughters of Italy, and the two participate in many Italian traditions.

For the second year in a row, HCC students worked together to help those in need thanks to the encouragement of HCC sociology instructor Daniel Madron. Through his efforts, Madron and his students cooked and served Thanksgiving dinner to 800 people at three locations - Lifehouse West in Hagerstown, the Salvation Army, and the Community Action Council (CAC). "This event is really amazing," Madron said. "It's great for students because they are not only helping the community but they are learning about things we discuss in class.

More than 40 volunteers turned out Thursday to serve an annual Thanksgiving dinner to anyone who wanted it at the Hope Center at Hagerstown Rescue Mission. Becky Shank, development director of the center, said she was impressed by the number of people who wanted to volunteer for the dinner held in the Gospel Trinity Center. “The amount of people we have wanting to help speaks so well for the community,” she said. “We are so blessed, because we never have a problem at finding people to step up.” Shank said that she has had to turn volunteers away.

There was enough turkey there to put everyone into a tryptophan coma for days. Sixty-one turkeys, 430 pounds of potatoes, 275 pounds of ham, 130 loaves of bread for filling, seven cases of corn and four bushels of apples for homemade applesauce were used for Thursday's meal at the Lemasters Community Center, plus hundreds of dinner rolls. That's quite a hefty amount for a Thanksgiving feast, but it's become a growing tradition for one Mercersburg, Pa., family since 2004. After drawing about 90 people that first year, close to 900 turned out Thursday for the eighth annual free Thanksgiving meal hosted by the Metcalfe family at the center.

Turkey, mashed potatoes, stuffing and other traditional Thanksgiving trimmings weren't the only things being served up at the Boonsboro Bible Church on Thursday. Boonsboro resident Charles Wiles said he received a substantial serving of blessings. “If you want to be blessed with a good meal, they'll bless you,” he said. Wiles urged his family to stop by the church for its free meal, so his wife, Cindy, could avoid the preparation and cleanup from a meal at home. He said her work schedule is sometimes unpredictable when she's on call at a hospital.

For Robin Mills and Ashley Halteman, Thanksgiving Day shopping at the Kmart off Massey Boulevard was just a warm-up for the big game on Black Friday. Halteman, 21, said she drove two hours from her home in Pennsylvania to see Mills in Hagerstown. The mother-daughter duo said their Thanksgiving plans involved shopping at Kmart, eating dinner, getting a little rest - then waiting in line at Sears early on Black Friday morning to snare some big savings. “We want to be out by 3 (a.m.)

The last several years have been sad ones for Howard Sprankle. He said his mother died nearly five years ago, and Thursday marked the first time in three years that he wasn't able to enjoy the free community Thanksgiving dinner with his father at the Evangelical Lutheran Church in Waynesboro. “He had a (health) problem,” Sprankle said of his father. “I'll have to take him a meal. I don't like it. I wish he was here.” Sprankle, 54, of Waynesboro, was among roughly 200 people who gathered around tables covered with orange and yellow cloths to enjoy the meal in the church basement.

A free Thanksgiving dinner will be held Thursday at Williamsport United Methodist Church, 25 E. Church St., from 11 a.m. to 2 p.m. The community is invited. Takeouts and deliveries will be available. For more information, call 301-223-7040. Clothes of Hope will also be open Thursday at the church from 11 a.m. to 2 p.m. Spaghetti dinner planned Saturday Van Lear Brethren in Christ Church, 10745 Van Lear Drive, will hold a spaghetti dinner Saturday from 4 to 7 p.m. The menu includes salad, roll, drink, and all-you-can-eat spaghetti.

A community Thanksgiving dinner will be Thursday, Nov. 24, from noon to 2 p.m. at Bethel United Methodist Church in Chewsville.   It is a free dinner offered to the community and all are welcome. For more information, call 301-733-8387 or go to www.bethelchewsville.org/ Spaghetti dinner Cavetown United Church of Christ will hold a spaghetti dinner Saturday from 3 to 7 p.m. The menu includes spaghetti, salad, garlic bread, drink and dessert. The meal costs $7 for adults, $5 for those ages 6 to 12 and is free for those 5 and younger.