Volunteers dish up Thanksgiving meals to people in need (+video)

Shortly before 11 a.m. Wednesday, the line for the 38th annual We Care dinner stretched the length of the Robert D. Love Downtown YMCA at 402 N. Market.

And although it moved at a brisk pace, Cheyenne Montano and seven family members were anxiously awaiting their turn in line.

“I’m looking forward to the food,” said one boy.

Mim McKenzie, vice president for community development at the Greater Wichita YMCA, said 1,400 meals were served Wednesday to families in need. In addition to the meals, the YMCA also handed out nearly 800 free coats and winter clothing items.

The dinner is sponsored by Allen, Gibbs & Houlik, CPA; CornerBank; and Lubrication Engineers. More than 120 turkeys were donated by Cargill’s Honeysuckle White division.

Tickets for the dinner were given out in advance.

For Aron Dunn, who works at AGH, this was his 15th year volunteering at the event.

“The firm gives us a chance to volunteer without taking a vacation day,” Dunn said. “I’m on the (YMCA) board here and it is a chance to meet some really nice people.”

Roger Mericle, senior vice president and commercial business lending manager at Fidelity Bank, said he considers volunteering at the annual dinner a chance to give back to the community.

“This is the highlight of my year,” Mericle said. “It brings the reason for Thanksgiving back into the season.

“Here you can take the blessings God has given to all of us in our lives and pour those out in the community to those in need.”

McKenzie said the YMCA’s staff coordinates the annual dinner but volunteers ensure the lines run smoothly. The meal was prepared by Syl’s Catering in Colwich.

“We didn’t get the turkeys until last Wednesday so we started cooking them then,” said Mary Jo Seiler of Syl’s Catering. “We finished up yesterday.

“I made all the mashed potatoes, dressing, green beans and gravy. We used instant potatoes. This is the only time I use instant potatoes.”

John Boyd and Timmire McDonald thought the free meal was worth it.

“It’s pretty good; I cleaned my plate,” Boyd said.

This story was originally published November 25, 2015 at 4:51 PM with the headline "Volunteers dish up Thanksgiving meals to people in need (+video)."