The rescue mission's annual Great Thanksgiving Banquet (or GTB for short) is only two weeks away, and I'm beginning to feel the pressure. I would like for someone to explain to me why a part-time director of volunteers gets saddled with the responsibility of organizing the event. Okay, so we use about 150 volunteers to pull it off...that's beside the point. I now realize that nobody at the mission wanted the responsibility, so it was cunningly written into my job description before I was hired. I'm stuck.
Actually, we have a great committee of staff members that plan their areas of ministry for the GTB: chapel service, food service, food basket assembly, registration and food basket distribution, indoor traffic, child care, and public relations. Everyone is faithful to do their part so that on the big day, we can serve about 600 people efficiently in three meal seating times using all three dining rooms. Each guest also attends a chapel service either before or after their meal, so we must have organized transition of people from the basement to the chapel, and vice versa. I'm sure our guests appreciate the meal, but the primary reason they come is to receive a sack of groceries and a turkey. Last year, we gave out about 350 of each. I'm just thankful for our wonderful volunteers, many of whom come year after year to participate in some area of preparation. There are groups that wrap the utensils, assemble the food baskets, bag 3000 lbs. of potatoes for the food baskets, set up the dining rooms, bake over 100 pies, cut vegetables and bread cubes for dressing, de-bone 50 turkeys for the meal, conduct the chapel services, etc. There are many other volunteers that come to serve the meals and clean up. It is a very exhausting day, but it's rather fun when we're in the midst of it...as long as everything goes well. If not, then GTB might take on a different meaning... use your imagination.
No comments:
Post a Comment