PORT ANGELES — It didn’t take long for Reath Ellefson’s dream to come true.
One year after organizing the first Thanksgiving supper at Queen of Angels Catholic Church’s gym in Port Angeles, Ellefson’s event has become one of the largest free community Thanksgiving dinners on the North Olympic Peninsula.
“It’s for everyone,” said Ellefson, who helped more than 50 volunteers serve 261 people on Thursday.
“It’s for people who don’t have a place to go. It’s for the homeless. It’s for the people that are down and out right now. It’s for everyone.”
Thirteen 20-pound turkeys and four hams were cooked while decorations were going up in the school gym on Wednesday. The volunteers served the first meals at noon on Thursday.
“It’s sad to be alone on Thanksgiving, you know, so why not come here and enjoy and meet new people?” Ellefson asked.
The 52-year-old Ellefson, who has battled cancer for the last 17 years, told herself last year that she wasn’t going to spend Thanksgiving alone, so she spoke with her priest about putting together a community meal.
“He said, go for it, so it just kind of went from there,” Ellefson recalled.
“It’s been my dream.”
Last year’s Thanksgiving meal at Queen of Angels, which was created by volunteers without contributions from the church, drew about 160.
“It’s been my dream,” Ellefson said.
Other meals
Meanwhile, a dozen volunteers served 160 pounds of turkey and side dishes to an estimated 75 residents and guests at Serenity House Single Adult Shelter in west Port Angeles.
Tim Bruce, lead case manager at Serenity House, said there were so many volunteers that some pitched in for the Salvation Army’s Thanksgiving dinner, which served nearly 200 on Wednesday, and the Dream Center Thanksgiving dinner for youths that served 32.
“We still do very well, even with Queen of Angels doing one,” Bruce said.
Some recently-discharged residents who are now living in their own apartments returned to the Serenity House on Thursday so they wouldn’t have to spend Thanksgiving alone, Bruce said.
“Turkey for one is not as much fun sometimes,” he said.
Bruce said he was scratching his head on Monday trying to figure out how to organize the meal. He said the residents stepped up and made it happen.
“We’ve had some guys cooking incessantly,” Bruce said.
No estimate was available Thursday of the number of people fed at the Forks Feeding the Five Thousand Thanksgiving dinner.
At the Sekiu Community Center, a free Thanksgiving potluck served 34 people.
In Chimacum, 320 people were served at the Tri-Area Community Center.
Back at Queen of Angels, piano notes serenaded the buffet line as dozens of volunteers served turkey and side dishes with smiles.
Shiny silverware and seasonal decorations gave the school gym a cozy atmosphere.
‘My house for dinner’
“I wanted them to feel like they were coming to my house for dinner,” Ellefson said.
“It’s like I told everybody, ‘You’re in my giant dining room. You’ve come to have Thanksgiving dinner with me.'”
People in the community donated different items for gift baskets.
“Everybody is having a wonderful time,” Ellefson said.
“They love the gifts. We have the drawing. You’ll see, people will sit here and wait until their name is drawn to get a prize.”
Every minute or two, Jessie Haguewood, a 20-year-old Gonzaga University student formerly of Port Angeles, announced the winner of one of 150 gift baskets.
Haguewood volunteered at the supper with her parents, Jim and Julie Haguewood and her brother, Jeff, 22, who is also a Gonzaga student.
Jessie Haguewood said she enjoyed calling out the names of children.
“You can see their eyes light up,” she said.
Dot Toomer, who moved to Port Angeles from New Jersey about two years ago, couldn’t single out one aspect of the meal she liked the best.
“Everything,” she said.
Toomer’s caretaker, Liz Collins of Port Angeles, said she and Toomer enjoyed the first Thanksgiving feast at Queen of Angels so much that they decided to come back.
“It’s better than being alone,” Collins said.
Guests were allowed to take a plate of food home.
Ellefson said her doctor advised her not to overdo it.
“I’m doing OK,” Ellefson said. “I’m going through treatment again, but this is good medicine right here. This is wonderful medicine right here.”
Ellefson looked around the room as volunteers served plate after plate to thankful guests.
“This is like a Christmas present,” Ellefson said.
“For me, this is what keeps me going.”
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Reporter Rob Ollikainen can be reached at 360-417-3537 or at rob.ollikainen@peninsuladailynews.com.
