Volunteers bring community together for holiday dinner

By Julia Sellers| South Carolina Bureau

Wednesday, November 21, 2007

AIKEN --- The third annual One Table event will provide a hot Thanksgiving dinner and fellowship to more than 1,000 area residents Thursday.

At least 100 volunteers will cook more than 120 turkeys and man four buffet tables in The Alley in downtown Aiken.

The event began in 2005 with more than 200 meals being served mostly to law enforcement officers and EMT workers on duty during the holiday, said Eddie George, a founding organizer.

"Nobody gets any credit or horn-blowing here," he said. "About 90 percent of the stuff donated, we don't even know where it comes from. If you're doing something good, it's strictly because you're doing good."

Volunteers will serve dressing, rice and gravy, corn on the cob and sweet potato pie from 11 a.m. to 2 p.m. Thursday.

Officials say turkeys will start simmering about midnight tonight and will be served every way imaginable, including fried, baked and grilled.

In the past three years, Mr. George said, One Table has meant a lot to him.

"I've made a ton of friends through this that would be complete strangers to me if it weren't for this event. It's just a blessing to me every way I turn," he said.

"It's quite a feeling to show up at 9 a.m. when the tables start going up and see all these people from different denominations, churches and even nonchurch folks unloading tables and setting up."

After working at St. Thaddeus Episcopal Church's soup kitchen on Thanksgiving Day for several years, Mr. George proposed a larger event to Aiken Public Safety Director Pete Frommer.

From there, Barbara Franklin, of Christ Central, a nonprofit organization, teamed up with Mr. George and other soup kitchens and churches to start One Table.

"This is really different than a lot of events because this is not a soup kitchen or haves doing for have-nots." he said. "It's for everybody in the community to come sit down together at one table."

One Table volunteers also work with the Council on Aging and churches to prepare meals for about 70 shut-ins.

The event has already surpassed its expected food donations, but volunteers are still welcome.

"Everybody can help in their own way, even if it's just to pick up behind yourself," Mr. George said. "And if anybody has a particular dish that they feel like it's not Thanksgiving without it, they're welcome to bring it and share it with others."

Reach Julia Sellers at (803) 648-1395, ext. 106 or julia.sellers@augustachronicle.com.