All in the community – Escalon and surrounding areas – are invited to come and share a holiday meal together, as the free Escalon Community Thanksgiving Dinner will be served at the city’s Community Center on Thursday, Nov. 23.
New volunteer coordinators for this year will include Judy Willadsen, serving as the kitchen coordinator, and Debbie Jaramillo, coordinating the efforts to set up the dining area and assign volunteers to the various tasks.
“I am very thankful for two co-coordinators this year to be my right hand and keep me in line,” longtime home delivery/takeout coordinator DeeAnna Jackson said. “I am also very thankful for the returning and new volunteers that have already contacted me; we still need many more volunteers.”
Sponsored by the Escalon Ministerial Association, EMA, the traditional Thanksgiving Day dinner will be served from 11:30 a.m. to 1:30 p.m. at the Escalon Community Center, 1055 Escalon Ave.
For those who are physically unable to attend, a delivery service is available. Schedule a delivery by calling DeeAnna Jackson at 209-838-6808.
The delivery, Jackson noted, is designed especially for those who are elderly or shut in and can’t get out for the meal.
“We would like to serve more dine in,” Jackson added, as the event was started initially years ago with the goal that ‘No one would be alone for Thanksgiving’ and they want to see more people coming together to share the meal. “We will offer the delivery to ones that can’t (dine in) and hope they will allow the delivery person to set up their meal and visit for a while.”
The meal itself will be served on Thanksgiving at but volunteers are needed several days in advance of the dinner to get everything prepared.
Volunteers for Sunday, Nov. 19 and Monday, Nov. 20 can contact Jackson for information at 209-838-6808.
On Sunday at the Community Center, approximately 10:45 a.m., the volunteers will be needed to unload turkeys and put them in the refrigerators. Volunteers for this effort must be able to lift and carry 45 to 50-pound boxes.
Monday, Nov. 20 at 1 p.m., at the Community Center will be the work of unloading a trailer of supplies as well as unpack and organize kitchen tools to prepare everything for the chefs that will come in to start the cooking on Wednesday morning, Nov. 22.
For those who want to work either Wednesday or Thursday, contact Jaramillo at 360-618-3532 or email DJnurse56@gmail.com.
Wednesday, Nov. 22 will include the setting up of tables and chairs at the Community Center, starting at 9:30 a.m., as well as decorating the dining room and area putting together the to-go boxes.
On Thanksgiving itself, Nov. 23, volunteers are needed to work as dine-in hostesses and servers, kitchen servers, pie and drink servers, preparing the to-go meal boxes and help with the meal deliveries. Also needed are volunteers to serve on the clean-up crew following the completion of the dinner.
All volunteers are also encouraged to join in and share the Thanksgiving meal together.
Monetary donations to help defray costs for putting on the Thanksgiving feast are appreciated and can be made to the EMA - Thanksgiving Dinner, P.O. Box 1, Escalon, CA 95320.
