Once again, the free Thanksgiving dinner held in the St. Mary's School cafeteria was a success.

It was a success largely due to the superb organizational skills of Maureen Kreckler, who scheduled volunteers, purchased groceries, took reservations, helped to prepare and cook a delicious dinner, and greeted guests. Maureen put her all into making this Thanksgiving dinner a well-thought-of holiday. We are extremely grateful to her, for all her time and effort.

And to the many community members who volunteered their time and efforts as well, cooking, serving, socializing with guests, to cleaning up afterwards, thank you. We would not be able to do this great service without our volunteers.

A special thanks to General Engineering and St. Vincent de Paul store for their generous monetary donations for the food. This thank-you extends to the community for their donations as well, from the bountiful pies dropped off at the school, and for additional monetary donations.

We also want to offer "a very special thank you" to St. Mary's School for the use of their kitchen and cafeteria. Without their generosity to provide a place to hold this holiday event, it would not be possible.

Our hope is that all whom attended the Thanksgiving dinner had a gratifying experience.

Kay and Rick Crawford, Portage