Salem Thanksgiving Dinner Organizers Retire After Over 30 Years | News, Sports, Jobs

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Morning Diary / Mary Ann Greier Salem Community Thanksgiving Dinner Co-Chairs Nancy Miller and Jeff Schoch stand one last time in front of the Salem Memorial Building.

SALEM – Jeff Schoch and Nancy Miller described the annual Thanksgiving Day Community Dinner they have hosted for the past 30 years as a passion and a calling.

Now they say it’s time for them to step away, to retire, but they are also hoping that someone else feels inspired to take charge of the dinner which has served 784 meals in 2019 since. Salem Memorial Building, both in person and by door-to-door delivery.

“We would be delighted to be able to guide some people through the stages”, Schoch said in a recent interview.

“We would love for someone to be as passionate about it as we were. If anyone feels called to do so, we would like to share with them ”, Miller added.

Schoch and Miller, who served as co-chairs for the bulk of the vacation, canceled last year’s dinner due to a fall resurgence in COVID-19 cases and the loss of some key volunteers.

Many factors led to the 2020 decision and in a recent campfire conversation with their spouses, Connie and Bill, they found out that the same factors existed for this year, so they won’t be planning a dinner this year. For them, it was a natural break and it felt like a good time to transition.

The decision was not taken lightly and both admitted the void left for the community, claiming “this part hurts a lot.”

Thanksgiving dinner wasn’t just about handing out food. The dinner showcased the best of the community, with hundreds of volunteers who gave a good chunk of their time at one of the biggest parties of the year to help others. In many cases, dinner has become a family effort, with several family members from many communities volunteering to deliver dinners, cook, serve, clean up, or just pray for everyone.

Miller said the event has really evolved over the years, becoming more about camaraderie and being together. Dinner was not just for those in need, but for anyone in need of a place to go for Thanksgiving. Couples whose children were no longer in the area came. Even passing truckers would make a stop. Dinner has become a community tradition.

Schoch said the dinner started in 1985 under the Wayout prison ministries of Don and Cheryle Herr. At the time, Schoch was on their advisory board and the dinner was a way of thanking the community for their support. He and Miller were involved. The dinner lasted four or five years, then the Herrs took care of their ministry and didn’t for one of the two years.

One night, Schoch and Miller and their wives were playing cards and Miller asked if he had missed that dinner. They talked about it and then decided to do it. It was in the early 90’s and they’ve been making dinner ever since.

“We were blown away by the people who showed up” said Schoch.

No agency was involved – it was just people – and he was blown away by the support. The Salem Memorial Building donated the use of the building. They had organizations that donated money for the cost, like the Fraternal Order of Police Quaker Lodge 88 and Salem Self Pro Martial Arts. Members of their churches, Salem First United Methodist Church and Abundant Life Fellowship in New Waterford, have volunteered. Tim Annabell of Annabell’s Restaurant has been cooking turkeys and large pots of gravy for over a decade to help.

The last dinner brought together 145 volunteers, many of whom took on specific roles. Of the 784 meals served that day, 632 were delivered throughout Columbiana County and even parts of Mahoning, Stark and Carroll counties. There were 78 dinners consumed at the site and another 45 were picked up.

Some volunteers did deliveries, some took care of the two service lines, some made take-out meals, some covered the dining room, some the kitchen, some did the dishes, people worked at the door as hosts or escorts, others kept track of orders, some people cooked turkeys, served as runners when something was needed, colorful pictures for dinners, cut pies, bagged buns and then there was the team prayer, reciting prayers at every dinner.

Dinner consisted of over 30 turkeys, 50 to 70 dozen buns, multiple casseroles of dressing, mashed potatoes, 40 large boxes of vegetables, and 125 to 150 pies.

When the dinner drew to a close, the dinners were given to the police and firefighters, halfway houses and others working that day. They even printed placemats with the names of churches and major donors.

Not everyone heard about the dinner cancellation last year and an agency that still called dinner orders for its residents sent a fax with all the names, addresses and number of dinners for each location. . A volunteer whose family has always been involved in the dinner, Kim Linhart, her husband Scott and their children and families filled the order for 48 meals on their own, cooked them and delivered them. Schoch said she even sent Christmas cards before to people whose dinners were delivered.

The stories they’ve collected over the years could probably fill a book. A truck driver stayed all dinner and ended up driving home with Miller and his family for their Thanksgiving dinner.

Schoch said they were grateful for all of the help the community has given over the years and that they know the community will rise again if asked.

“We felt it was a privilege to be able to do this”, Miller said.

If a local group or individuals are interested in taking over the dinner, Schoch and Miller are ready to provide information during the transition. Schoch can be contacted at 330-337-3728 to discuss details.

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