By JEFFREY SMITH
Leader staff writer
A Cabot couple noticed the city was missing a place for the community to gather during Thanksgiving, so Heather Moore and her husband Dane gave residents the opportunity to share a hot, home-cooked meal during the holiday with the first annual community Thanksgiving dinner.
The meal began at 11 a.m. Thursday at the New Life Church on 10th Street.
The Moores, along with a team of volunteers and church members, cooked and served a sit-down meal at the church or boxed up dinners for take-out.
Dane Moore said he and his wife had volunteered last year at a Thanksgiving dinner at the community center in Lonoke.
“We tried to find something here in Cabot to volunteer (during Thanksgiving). We started looking and there was nothing here,” Dane Moore said.
He said they agreed to hold a holiday feast for Cabot.
“It was a burden on our hearts to do this in Cabot. We had two goals, to feed the needy and to bring the body of Christ together,” he said.
“God’s given peace for the whole thing. We had a lot of help,” Heather said.
The turkeys were donated by an organization in Little Rock and were smoked by Grandpa’s Bar-B-Que.
Volunteers prepared many side dishes, including several different stuffings, rice and broccoli casserole, green bean casserole, mashed potatoes and gravy, sweet potatoes, macaroni and cheese, egg salad and rolls. There was also a dessert buffet table full of pies, cakes and cookies.
Susan Kress came to the dinner with her boyfriend John Case and her daughter Haley.
“It’s a wonderful thing that they are doing for the community. Some people have family out of state and don’t have the transportation to get there. It’s nice to have people who do care,” Kress said.
“When you have a small family, there is no reason for a big dinner. I don’t want to cook a turkey for two people and have leftovers. I’d gain a lot of weight,” she said.
“I am thankful for the food and thankful for all the help they gave everybody,” Haley Kress, 11, said.
Kathleen Goldsmith of Ward volunteered at the community dinner. Her children were out of town, so she came and helped. She cooked 24 cans of green beans and corn in her kitchen starting at 7 a.m. for the Thanksgiving meal.
“I always wanted to do this for years. The food is delicious, all homemade. They went through a lot of hard work,” Goldsmith said.
