This is a letter written by Mike Laska in 2005 about the history of the Edmond Community Thanksgiving Dinner. The first time the community Thanksgiving Dinner was served in Edmond was Thanksgiving Day, 1981. It was prepared by Frank and Pat Paradise, members of First Presbyterian Church for any one that wished to join them for a Thanksgiving Day dinner. It was as much a gesture of love as it was c
onvenience for they had a family of six children at that time and they felt surely a few more couldn’t be that difficult, besides it was their hope they could enjoy the company of their church family. As it turned out approximately 15 or 20 of us showed up for this dinner and all enjoyed it so much we resolved to do the same the next year. That next year, 1982 more than 50 people enjoyed food and fellowship for Thanksgiving Day. It is difficult to say how many of those in that second year were from outside First Presbyterian Church of Edmond although it is certain some of them were. The success was so great and the dinner so delicious we decided to ‘spread the word’ throughout the area to encourage greater participation. It was this increased participation that led to the involvement of other churches in the community. Each year it seemed the meal grew by two or three hundred people many of whom were the result of other churches inviting friends and families from their own church homes. Soon we became a little more formal in our organization meeting periodically prior to Thanksgiving Day to discuss what was needed for food, etc., yet the original family of Frank and Pat Paradise were the ‘glue’ that kept the group together. Frank and Pat were always there to help prepare the food list, the equipment needs, the set up required and so on. For many years the dinner was prepared and hosted at First Presbyterian Church but we felt it would be more appropriate if some of the other churches represented acted as host for the meal. This change marked the first time solid organization was needed to structure the preparation, cooking, and hosting of the meal. The number of churches now involved required far greater organization as well. Not only did the number of churches grow but so did the amount of food required. About the fifteenth year the meal was served we began our food preparation at St. St John’s had a large commercial kitchen that enabled us to prepare all the food far more easily than we had in the past and it had a central location that allowed us to deliver the food easily to the now seven churches involved. Again because the meal continued to grow in number and scope we soon felt we needed to have an identity of our own to protect the intent of the mission and to ensure the continuation of the effort regardless of the people involved. In 2000 the Edmond Community Thanksgiving Dinner association was begun. We received our 501c identification from the IRS the following year and our standing as a non profit charitable organization became official. The original board of directors included people who attended the first
Thanksgiving Day meal served at FPCE in 1981 and many members who had participated in the meal for many, many years since that first dinner. It is this continuity of membership and the fellowship that ensued that has created such a strong organization and continues to serve our community so well. Perhaps the greatest strength of the organization is its commitment to serve the entire community. We are dedicated to serve all who wish to participate regardless of their need. We all have our needs: the need to serve, the need for fellowship, the need to participate, the need to give, the need to receive, the need for a hot meal. It is this commitment to those needs that has led to our continued success. We will enjoy our twenty fourth year this year and we hope to serve 2,000 plus meals Thanksgiving Day. The meals served include those that come to enjoy a meal at the host church, the meals they may take home with them, meals that we deliver to those that ask for a meal at their home, meals which we donate to Jesus House at the end of the day, and meals that we supply to other charitable organizations through out the community. These organizations include: Edmond Mobile Meals, Breakfast on Boulevard, Samaritan House, Hope Center, Cooks Nite Out, My Brother’s Keeper, etc. It is this effort and the involvement of hundreds of volunteers each year that allow us to enjoy so much success and that will continue to provide our community a place for fellowship and community each Thanksgiving as we strive to live the original intent of our nations Thanksgiving Day Holiday.
