Plates of love, with all the trimmings

By: ADAM KAYE, DAVID STERRETT and CRAIG TENBROECK - Staff Writer | Thursday, November 23, 2006 10:12 PM PST ∞

NORTH COUNTY ---- Charities and churches across North County opened their hearts and set their tables Thursday, serving hundreds of meals to the poor, the elderly and the lonely.

Laying out the Thanksgiving spreads were any number of volunteers. Many of them offered thanks simply for the opportunity to give.

Workers served the needy generous plates of turkey and trimmings, all slathered in steaming gravy. At one feast, volunteers patrolled rows of tables at the San Marcos Senior Center, just waiting to offer a slab of pie, cup of cold water, a napkin, conversation ---- anything ---- to their guests.

"You just feel like you're doing something good," said volunteer Teri Cohen. "I've been very blessed and it feels good to give back."

Hungry people enjoyed no-questions-asked, free meals at at least nine locations from Oceanside to Escondido. Here's a look at the feasts and at some of the people who prepared, served and enjoyed them.

Escondido's Interfaith serves up hope

A line of diners streamed out the door of Interfaith Community Services in Escondido, where the charity serves the community's homeless and poor. Once seated at the shelter's round tables, the guests received heaping trays of Thanksgiving dinner, delivered swiftly by volunteers.

Overseeing the restaurant-style service was Jerry Morgan, Interfaith's director of basic needs, who described the scene as "controlled chaos."

He said he expected to feed 300 people during an afternoon feast made possible by generous donations of food and volunteer labor. He employed two shifts of volunteer workers, who enjoyed the work so much that many of them didn't want to leave, he said.

"I feel like pretty much every other holiday has been about me," said Gina Sannipoli of Valley Center. "I wanted to set the focus off of me this holiday."

Among the diners were Oscar Perez, 23, of Escondido and his two cousins, Angel Rios, 12, and Anthony Rios, 11.

Were it not for Interfaith's dinner, the Rios brothers would be eating Ramen noodles and fighting with each other, Angel said.

"It makes me feel good that people are helping me out," Angel said.

Also appreciative was Perez, who said he is rebuilding his life after spending time in jail.

"I'm just glad I'm here," he said. "The last two years I was locked up."

More appreciative words came from Gregory Moore, whose family hunkered over trays of turkey.

"I'm thankful for what we have: a roof over our heads and clothes on our back," Moore said.

Hundreds dine at Brother Benno's

At Brother Benno's in Oceanside, volunteers served those in need of a Thanksgiving feast.

"The service is the best part," said Mike Borum as he enjoyed his pie. "It couldn't get any better than this and the food is great."

Volunteers cooked 45 turkeys, 25 gallons of gravy, 22 gallons of potatoes, three cases of stuffing and dozens of pies.

Harold Kutler, a founder of Brother Benno's, said the organization expected to feed about 300 people on Thursday at its facility in central Oceanside.

"It's really a community celebration," Kutler said of the meals. "It's uplifting for everyone, including the guests and volunteers."

Kutler said about 40 local residents volunteered to help serve the food.

"This is a good way to spend time helping others," said George Gwiazdowski, a Carlsbad resident serving food. "You really see there is a great need."

Dozens of people sat together, swapping holiday stories.

"Happy Thanksgiving," said Darrel Hermann, as he begun his second plate of food. "All is good."

San Marcos Senior Center

Palomar Christian Church shared its bounty with nearly 150 diners in the San Marcos Senior Center's banquet room. The spacious center buzzed with chirping children, and the rich smell of holiday cooking permeated the building.

Just about anybody could get a meal, organizer Paul Johnson said. He said he sent volunteers to a nearby fire station to make sure the firefighters had plenty to eat.

Thursday's meal was the eighth one that Johnson has helped to coordinate, and the payoff came from the appreciation and reactions of the guests, he said.

"When you begin to see the expressions on people's faces because they don't have anyone to talk to or nowhere to go, you feel like you've made a difference in their lives," Johnson said.

Volunteer Wayne Topliffe, a New York City native who delivered slabs of pumpkin pie directly to diners, added that the guests "need a place to be, to talk."

Esteban Garcia, a cook at Rice King restaurant, chattered with his family after finishing a dinner he said was "muy sabroso."

At home, "we wouldn't have enjoyed a big meal like they offered to us just now," Garcia said in Spanish. His wife, Berta Hernandez, who held 1-year-old Maribel, nodded in agreement.

Beyond that, "we would have been bored" at home, said his 8-year-old son, Jose.

Barbara and Ray Denning showed up to work but found every job taken.

"They had a beaucoupe of volunteers so we decided to sit down and eat," Barbara Denning said.

St. Francis of Assisi Catholic Church, Vista

At St. Francis of Assisi Catholic Church in Vista, volunteers piled hundreds of plates to astonishing heights with Thanksgiving fare.

Event organizer Austin O'Malley said 55 cooked turkeys, 150 pies and more than 50 Jell-O molds had been donated to the church for the free dinner.

Leftovers, however, weren't going to be a problem.

While last year's event attracted 560 diners, this year's early rush led O'Malley to believe that the tally would be even higher. Volunteers also hand-delivered 300 meals to people unable to leave their homes, O'Malley said.

David Burkhead, a 58-year-old Oceanside resident, ate his dinner over a homemade place mat adorned with a child's hand prints. He said he first came to the event 14 years ago, "when times were a little worse for me," but after so many years, the meal has become a tradition.

"These people are like my family," he said, casting a smile to a bustling volunteer.

Liz Sumner, a proud member of the event's "pie committee," brought her two daughters to work as well. The Sumners deposited dollops of whipped cream on slices of pie. Volunteering at Thanksgiving sets the tone for the rest of the holiday season, Liz Sumner said.

"If you start out giving, it makes you that much more mindful of how fortunate you are," Sumner said.

Oceanside Elks Lodge

In Oceanside, a dinner held by the Oceanside Elks focused on giving Marines full stomachs and a happy Thanksgiving.

However, fewer than half of the expected service men and women showed up because some got an unexpected chance to fly home for the holiday.

Among the 25 Marines, and 60-some Elks members and residents who dined at the lodge, Pfcs. Joshua Clay, 21, and Steve Reinagel, 23, said they would probably be eating turkey sandwiches in the barracks if the Elks hadn't been so generous.

"I think it's awesome. A lot of us can't fly home or don't have family," Clay said, speaking over the din of chatter and live music. "It really shows we are appreciated." Ý

Dan Bourg, the president of the Oceanside Elks, said while he and more than 25 volunteers prepared the meal for up to 200 people, he was not upset by the turnout.

"I'm not disappointed because people are opening their doors for the service men and homeless of Oceanside," Bourg said between mouthfuls of turkey and mashed potatoes.

"We can only be happy hoping that they are somewhere getting a meal and camaraderie."

Surveying half-filled pans of stuffing and yams crowned with marshmallows, volunteer and Elks member Gloria Turner said she spent two days prior to Thanksgiving cooking 90 pounds of turkey, 30 pounds of green beans, six gallons of stuffing and other dishes for the event.Ý Ý

A former cafeteria supervisor for the Oceanside Unified School District, Turner said the Elks' efforts were worthwhile because they gave the Marines a pleasant way to spend the day.Ý Ý

"I was used to cooking for 600, so this was nothing," Turner said. "They are away from their families, so we (became their) family."

-- Freelance writer Jessica Musicar contributed to this story.

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