Lucia Elder, of Union, is a member of St. Peter’s Episcopal Church at 11 White Street in Rockland. She also has coordinated the annual Thanksgiving Day dinner the church provides for the past four years.

“My husband passed away a few years back and I said I just couldn’t fix a big dinner and look at an empty place setting,” she said.

Lucia is a church member and has been volunteering at the church for the past eight years. Saint Peter’s has been providing the Thanksgiving Day meal for 15 years.

“My daughters Collen Hopper and Wanda Bennet help me,” said Lucia. “I couldn’t do it without them. And I have three of five grandchildren who help, as well. The kitchen is full of people all working to make this happen. In all there are about 45 volunteers helping out today.”

When not at the church, Lucia is a registered nurse who does private duty home health care. Mostly with disabled children, she said.

“Most of the food is donated by church members,” said Lucia. “And we ask that they bring it prepared. A host of businesses donated items, as well. Parishioners cooked 15 turkeys. We had a donated ham and we have squash, mashed potatoes, turkey gravy, peas and onions, there was even mustard and collared green, plus apple and cranberry sauce, bread and rolls, pickles, olives and coffee, eggnog and apple cider to drink.”

The volunteers had to cut and serve 45 pies that were donated for dessert.

“Oh my, there were more pies than you could shake a stick at,” is how Lucia put it.

“We were here most of the day yesterday preparing things and we came in at 7 a.m. this morning to get it all ready to serve at 12:30. We planned for 200 people. Last year we did 180 meals, but that included the meals we prepared for shut-ins.

This was the first year the Woodworth family, of Rockport, volunteered to help out at the church. Timothy and Rebekah, along with son Paul, who is 15, and daughter Fran, who is 12, put in a full morning helping wherever they were needed.

"Both my husband and I had lost our mothers in the last year and a half," said Rebekah.  “We are finding new traditions as a family.”

“It’s heartwarming that there’s a place people can go and have a nice meal,” said Timothy.

Melissa Kelly is a chef at Primo’s Restaurant. She carved the Jarradale Squash and used it as a serving dish for the soup. 

“I cooked the squash and added some apple and apple cider with a few other ingredients, said Melissa. “Then I toasted some pumpkin seeds to sprinkle on top."

Melissa lends her time and talents cooking for the church on the holidays. On the first Sunday in January she prepares the whole meal.

“I like coming here,” said Melissa. “It’s such a nice thing to help feed people. I like to make people feel good and food does just that. You should come on the first Sunday in January. It’s a great meal.”

Lucia Elder sums it all up by saying it makes you feel, “very fullfilled. I think it’s one of the best things we do here.”

Besides the holiday meals, Saint Peter’s Church also operates a soup kitchen on Saturday and Sunday nights.