Sharing Thanksgiving with the community

For the fifth year in a row, the halls of Bethany Congregational Church in East Rockaway echoed with the noise of a holiday celebration last Thursday, as the church opened its doors to the community for a Thanksgiving dinner.

“When you have to spend a holiday on your own, because you have no one to share it with or because you can’t afford to travel to your family and celebrate, it can really get you down,” a Nassau County resident who attended the dinner, and wished to remain anonymous, said. “But here, you can join in with other people and thank God for all that you do have and all thank you can celebrate.”

Barbra Herrmann, who has coordinated the event each year since the first dinner hosted at the church, said she wanted to continue a charitable event that had gone dormant.

“Years ago, there was another dinner run by a charity called ‘People Helping People’ that held a free Thanksgiving dinner, but they were no longer able to sponsor it,” she said. “My husband and I wanted to continue the dinner so that way everyone could have a place to celebrate. We were approached by a few members of the church and asked if we would like to host the dinner at the church, and we leapt at the chance.”

The dinner has become a highlight of the year for Herrmann, who has coordinated the event with her husband, Doug, and Pastor Rev. Mark Lukens since the church held their first dinner.

“It really is a great tradition, and something I look forward to each year, and I think a lot of people, both attendees and volunteers, feel the same way,” Herrmann said. “I think people are really looking for ways to volunteer and give back, especially around this time of the year, they just don’t know where they can go to really make an impact. People come here and they really enjoy their time and feel as if they made a difference.”

All are welcome to attend or volunteer at the dinner, whether they are members of the Bethany Church or not. Each year, Herrmann said, the church welcomes volunteers not just from their own congregation but also from churches of other faith from around the community.