The Sharing Center distributes Thanksgiving dinners to area families

By 9:30 a.m., the Holy Cross Church-Wilmot gym was full of food bound for adopted families this Thanksgiving.

By 9:30 a.m., the Holy Cross Church-Wilmot gym was full of food bound for adopted families this Thanksgiving.

A large group of volunteers gathered at Holy Cross Catholic Church-Wilmot for The Sharing Center’s annual Thanksgiving dinner meal distribution.

From 6 a.m. until just before 10, people who had adopted a family for the holiday brought in the makings of a holiday feast. The supplies were taken into the church’s gymnasium and arranged efficiently by number.

Some of the food donated by the Twin Lakes Chamber Foundation is unloaded. Bill Jones, Ryan Jones, Brandon Jones, Shannon Dimiceli and Matt Jones unloaded 50 turkeys, 100 bags of stuffing, 50 5lb bags of potatoes, 150 cans of gravy, 100 cans of vegetables, 100 cans of cranberries, 50 large cans of yams and 50 pumpkin pies.

Some of the food donated by the Twin Lakes Chamber Foundation is unloaded. Bill Jones, Ryan Jones, Brandon Jones, Shannon Dimiceli and Matt Jones unloaded 50 turkeys, 100 bags of stuffing, 50 5lb bags of potatoes, 150 cans of gravy, 100 cans of vegetables, 100 cans of cranberries, 50 large cans of yams and 50 pumpkin pies. /Bill Jones photo

Then at around 10 a.m., the food started going back out again, as families that had been adopted came in to receive their holdiay meal.

Some 235 families benefited from the program this year, said Marie Huml, secretary of the The Sharing Center Board of Directors.

Carl Gustafson, president of the center’s board of directors, estimated that the center’s holiday program may have grown as much as 250 percent in families served and volunteers over the last few years. He attributes this not just to the souring economy, but also to greater awareness of the center and what it does.

“This is the best I’ve seen and I’ve seen a few,” Gustafson said of the volunteers turnout. He also emphasized the community self help aspect of the program.

“A day like this just makes you feel great,” Gustafson said. “It’s all people who live here, helping people who live here.”

One of the largest donations from a group came from the Twin Lake Chamber Foundation. The group brought enough food Saturday– loaded in a long trailer — to adopt 50 families, said Bill Jones, a representative of the group. The group had been making such holiday donations for several years, but this year was able to increase their donation and connected with The Sharing Center, Jones said.

The Sharing Center also operates a Christmas adopt a family program. Details are available here or by calling 997-0783.

The Sharing Center Board of Directors President Carl Gustafson gives some instructions to volunteers just before families were expected to begin arriving to pick up their donated holiday meals.

The Sharing Center Board of Directors President Carl Gustafson gives some instructions to volunteers just before families were expected to begin arriving to pick up their donated holiday meals.

Aaron and Matthew Mountain unload a trunk of donations.

Aaron and Matthew Mountain unload a trunk of donations.

Olivia Rasmussen and Kaitlin Marks put cans of gravy in bags destined to be part of donated meals.

Olivia Rasmussen and Kaitlin Marks put cans of gravy in bags destined to be part of donated meals.

The volunteers that worked The Sharing Center's Thanksgiving meal distribution pause to pose for a group photo.

The volunteers that worked The Sharing Center's Thanksgiving meal distribution pause to pose for a group photo.

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