LEWISTON — Two days before Thanksgiving, there were already turkeys coming out of the oven at the Trinity Jubilee Center, while piles of carrots, turnips and squash were being prepped by four volunteers on an adjacent table.

Throughout the week, a festive atmosphere swirls around the community resource center on Bates Street as the organization prepares for its annual Thanksgiving meal that serves more than 180 people annually. 

Staff members say making the day a success depends on a number of people coming together — especially volunteers.

In the days before the holiday, regular volunteers log long hours. Then on Thanksgiving, more than a dozen volunteers from all over the community show up to serve the meal. 

Amanda Bernier, the volunteer coordinator and meals program manager at Trinity, was overseeing the operation last week. She pulled two turkeys out of the oven and looked them over. 

“This meal means a lot to people,” she said. 

Most of the year, the resource center’s 140 regular volunteers focus on prepping and serving daily meals. The organization also operates a food pantry, day shelter, resource center and a refugee integration program. 

Members of that program, many of whom are still new to America, latch on to its sense of community. On the Tuesday before Thanksgiving, volunteers Nathalie Bigcheun, Domingas Augusto, Vanessa Chagais and Lutela Kone were cutting vegetables in a line, sporting green Trinity Jubilee Center aprons. 

Bigcheun is from Cameroon, while the others came to Lewiston from Angola. They live in the neighborhood and volunteer almost every day. 

Bernier said many new Americans volunteer at Trinity while waiting for immigration status that allows them to work. 

“It’s great because when you’re new here, or new to the area, I think a lot of volunteers come here for the camaraderie,” she said. “Now you’re building relationships with not only people here, but among other volunteers. Now you have a friend.”  

Bigcheun was methodically peeling potatoes and placing them in a hotel pan. Bernier stopped and added, “Nathalie is fabulous in the kitchen.” 

Augusto, struggling to cut a giant butternut squash, but laughing, said she enjoys her time at the center. 

“I like it here,” she said. “I’d like to stay.” 

There’s also a different crew of about 15 volunteers who come in just for Thanksgiving. Bernier said she mixes up the group each year because they receive far more volunteer offers than they need. She said the list includes local professionals, teenagers and families. 

Erin Reed, executive director of the Trinity Jubilee Center, said they served 182 Thanksgiving meals last year, and 199 in 2015. She said they planned on 200 this year. 

“We served almost 30,000 meals last year, so 200 plates in a day isn’t a big deal, but cooking a Thanksgiving feast is way more work than a normal meal,” she said. “Holiday meals are a big deal here at the soup kitchen and they wouldn’t be possible without a ton of volunteer help.” 

Trinity isn’t alone. Lewiston sees a flurry of volunteer activity converging surrounding the holidays. Just up the street, St. Mary’s served a record number of people at its pantry last week, and volunteers there played a central part. 

This year, those attending the Thanksgiving meal were treated to full service at tables, providing a restaurant-like atmosphere. Bernier said each table would have its own server, with the meal including all the traditional Thanksgiving fixings, desserts, special drinks like eggnog, and more. 

“If you have to eat at a soup kitchen on Thanksgiving we want it to be the best meal you’ve had in weeks,” Reed said. 

Bernier said other Thanksgiving volunteers include well-known local officials and even her and other staff members’ children. 

The food coming into Trinity arrives from a variety of sources.

Bernier said Evergreen Subaru donated the pies for this year’s meal, while also offering volunteers to serve during the meal. They receive the bulk of their food from individual donations. If they’re in need of something specific, they often use social media to get the word out.

Bernier said many times the donations are anonymous.

At times when the organization is still in need of items just before the holiday, they can get nervous. But, Bernier said, they shouldn’t. 

“The community always pulls through,” she said. 

Know someone with a deep well of unlimited public spirit? Someone who gives up their time to make their community a better place? Then nominate them for Kudos. Send their name and the place where they do their good deeds to arice@sunjournal.com and we’ll do the rest.

Volunteers, from left, Domingas Augusto, Lutela Kone, Vanessa Chagais and Nathalie Bigcheun cut vegetables for a Thanksgiving meal at the Trinity Jubilee Center in Lewiston. (Daryn Slover/Sun Journal)

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