GREENFIELD – There were so many times they thought of pulling the plug – eyed the plans, considered the layout, remembered the crowd that descends on the county fairgrounds each November.
Organizers of the annual Lisa Muegge Feast of Plenty faced the same question so many event planners have asked themselves since the pandemic took hold: Can we do this safely?
But the answer, organizer Joel Hungate said, was clear. They couldn’t afford not to.
And so, Thursday morning, an army of more than 260 volunteers started their Thanksgiving just as the late Lisa Muegge would have wanted – by putting others first. They prepared, packaged and delivered about 2,500 meals to homes across the county and beyond.
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Click here to purchase photos from this gallerySteps to stop the spread of COVID-19 – from social distancing to quarantine – have left people feeling more isolated than ever, Hungate said. And if the Feast of Plenty stands for anything, it’s a sense of togetherness.
“We said, ‘That’s the point, right? That’s the reason,’” Hungate said.
Muegge, Hungate’s mother, taught him that back when they started the community dinner 15 years ago – that the gathering is as much about feeding souls as filling bellies.
“To go love on somebody, … this is a chance for us to reach out and be the hands and feet of love for that person,” he said. “If we decided to fold up shop when you need this more than ever, … are we really being the hands and feet?”
And so, months before the first turkeys hit the oven, Hungate got on the phone with the county health department. He knew the when, the where – he just needed the how. Organizers worked with local leaders to lay out a plan to keep everyone safe.
Signs of those efforts were abundant as the first wave of volunteers arrived before sunup.
Some decisions had been easy – they decided to forgo the dine-in option, encouraged carry-out and expanded their cooking area to give everyone ample space. All involved were masked and gloved, and volunteers on delivery duty drove up to have their backseats loaded instead of meandering through the crowded exhibit hall. Temperature-takers were stationed at the door, checking each volunteer.
Other steps took more coordination, but everyone was quick to step in where needed, organizers said.
The Carthage Volunteer Fire Department helped deliver meals, an effort aiming at expanding the ministry’s outreach to rural communities. Volunteers adapted to altered shifts to allow for better social distancing and kept from lingering too long in one spot.
Thursday morning, Jeff Muegge scanned the hall as a small army made its way through the serving line, deftly boxing up and bagging the dinners. Watching what people can do when they come together for a cause never fails to inspire him.
And remind him of the woman who started it all.
“This was her dream,” he said of his late wife, tears pooling. “I know it’s exactly what she would have wanted.”
Not the credit, of course – Lisa Muegge was never interested in that. But she would have been heartened to see the feast go on at a time when so many beloved traditions have had to be put off.
Muegge died in 2016, but so much of her giving spirit lives on in those who have followed the example she set: love first and judge not.
A community’s heart for the Muegges has kept this event going as much as anything else, said longtime volunteer Cory Rainbolt, who worked the event with her parents and son.
“We love that family a lot,” Rainbolt said, adding she had no doubt the event would carry on this year. “I knew … some way, they would make it happen.”
Each meal includes turkey with all the trimmings and dessert to top it off.
It also comes with a bag of groceries, an extra measure of caring organizers insist upon for those who need it.
“Unless they tell me no, everyone gets a bag of groceries,” said volunteer Janelle Burkhart.
For the weeks leading up to the event, Burkhart manned the call-in line, personally taking orders from people who found themselves in need.
Every year, there’s a call that sticks with you, she said.
This year, it came from the woman who called at the insistence of a friend who had stopped by and was alarmed to discover her near-empty cupboards.
Call this number, the friend told her – they will help you.
The pandemic has compounded the need, Burkhart said. Some callers told her they’ve been ill, unable to stock up on supplies, let alone cook a holiday meal. Others are just too scared to risk going out. Many said they’d welcome a Thanksgiving dinner even if it had to be dropped off on their porch.
“Clearly, everyone has a story for how this year has affected them,” she said. “People always want to tell you, but … it doesn’t matter why you’re calling in. We will give you a meal, regardless of your circumstances.”
If someone who called in seemed especially lonely, Burkhart slipped their delivery driver a note, asking that they spend a few extra minutes during the hand-off. That human connection can make all the difference, especially now, she said.
As a nurse at Hancock Regional Hospital, Burkhart has an up-close look at how a health crisis can devastate a community. And Thursday, she watched people come together to heal it.
It’s the little things – kind words, warm food, well-wishes for a safe holiday.
“I think a lot of people think that this is just a one-day, one-meal event,” she said. “The groceries that we provide, the conversations that the delivery drivers have, last so much longer than Thanksgiving.”
For the crew that starts cooking at 4 a.m., it’s amazing how quickly the day goes by.
It’s a day filled with kindness, with caring, with gratitude.
“It’s such a testament to how we’re all in this together,” Hungate said. “We’re here to help.”
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Generosity of dinner’s namesake lives on through her family and friends. Page A5
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