Nearly 100 volunteers helped out with ninth annual event at First Presbyterian Church
By Debora Gordon for Ashland.news
More than 200 people turned out Thursday for the ninth Community Peace Meal and Thanksgiving Celebration at the First Presbyterian Church of Ashland, according to organizers Jason and Vanessa Houk of Southern Oregon Jobs with Justice.
“We do the Peace Meal every Thursday and Friday in Lithia Park over near the bandshell at 3:30 p.m., rain or shine. We purchase some of the food, we do a lot of the cooking ourselves, we have a lot of volunteers that bring — people want to cook and bring things. It’s a wonderful thing,” Vanessa explained.
For this year’s holiday Community Peace Meal, she estimated, “maybe 200 people (turned out); last year, there were about 250. Individuals donate food, and then there are different foundations that have supported us over the year.” She gave the Carpenter Foundation and Ashland Community Health Foundation as examples.
Jason Houk described the history of the Thanksgiving Peace Meal.
“We have been doing the Thanksgiving meal for about nine years. We also do a meal the Friday before Christmas, and we support the meals every week with the community meals at the bandshell at 3:30 p.m. Jobs with Justice has been a fiscal sponsor and has supported the community meals since the first one, and they provide insurance and give us financial cover.”
Another partner is the Ashland Lions Club, a new partner, Jason Houk said. Hunger is one of the pillars they’re working on, and they provide the insurance for this event.
“This meal is pretty much community created,” he continued, “‘stone soup‘ in essence. We have about 100 volunteers serving, setting up, cleaning up. Ninety-nine percent of the food is donated. We have about 14 turkeys. Last year we ran out of turkey. We wanted to make sure we had plenty of turkey. We work with so many people, it really is a community partnership.
“We owe it all to Pastor Dan here at the Presbyterian (Church). We want anyone who doesn’t have anywhere else to be. It’s a meal that is traditionally eaten in company and friends; if you don’t have family and friends, a lot of folks are coming to get the community and the companionship. They really look forward to this every year.
“Here we are also serving our homeless community and folks that are food insecure, so we would be doing a meal on Thursday. It’s pretty much come in and eat; it will be fast and furious.
“There are some people we want to thank for it. We always dedicate the meal to Grandma Aggie. She’s deep in the heart and soul of the community.
“We have some folks that have passed; we want to remember them; we want to thank everyone. When we organize Thanksgiving Day, we understand it’s a holiday where people want people want an opportunity to volunteer and to serve.
“It’s part of their tradition. When we do the meals, we are also creating an opportunity for folks to volunteers and to serve. We have 100 volunteers. We will have four volunteers on Friday; so we hope folks that help today will be inspired to help us other days.”
Volunteer Mark Bayliss of Southern Oregon University said, “I help out because it fulfills my spirit. My family is all gone and the holidays can be an emotional trap; to be able to give back fills up my spirit.”
Laura Hickey said, “This is my second year volunteering. I think holidays can be lonely, and I like to be a part of something on holidays and my family is mostly on the East Coast. I’m a volunteer mentor at Rogue Valley mentors; like big brothers/sisters.”
Richard Lewis agreed, “Ditto: my family is on the East Coast, too. I work with the homeless job, as a social worker, and to vounteer to do something more tangible. Last year was my first year.”
This year was Jennifer Harris’ first time volunteering. “I recently moved to Ashland and wanted to find a way to re-pay this beautiful community. I recently moved from San Francisco and, in the short months I’ve been here, Ashlanders have been the most kind, welcoming people. It’s nice to return that feeling.”
Marva and Michael (who declined to give their last name) came to enjoy the meal and the community. Marva commented, “I think it’s because we didn’t have any family with us. We’re a couple of lost souls; we wanted to be around community. Marva has served in the past, so has experienced being on both sides of the table.”
Waiting in line, Paul commented that he comes to the dinner, “Because otherwise I’d be alone, for one thing; maybe see people I haven’t seen in a long time and it’s a big celebration day for me — Nov. 28, 1980, I had my last drink of alcohol, down in Balboa Park. And with that began a whole scene of hope.”
State Rep. Pam Marsh, D-Ashland, helped by distributing plates to the diners waiting in line to be served.
“I was here last year,” Marsh said. “For a few years, I brought food. It’s a long tradition in my family. What I think is obvious is the good spirits in the room on behalf of the volunteers and the people who are bringing food in, the people who are coming to dine. It’s really community in action.”
Just before inviting people to enjoy the meal, Jason Houk spoke for a couple of minutes, saying, “I just want to quickly remind folks that we’re on sacred ground. This was once native lands and we’re all just visitors here. I want to remember Grandma Aggie, who always came to our meals. It was such a a powerful piece of our heart.
“I just want to say, it’s been a really tough year and it’s hard to go forward without hope. But I have a lot of hope and a lot of faith that this will be our year. …As things get tough, what we need is community. It will not be survival of the fittest, but it is going to be survival of the friendliest.”
Debora Gordon is a writer, artist, educator and non-violence activist who recently moved to Ashland from Oakland, California. Email her at [email protected].
