Church plans to feed a thousand

Rusty Lutz has been planning just how much turkey and ham he'll need this Thanksgiving to feed all the hungry mouths around his Thanksgiving table.

Instead of just six or eight people, though, he'll serve close to 1,000.

Lutz is a member of New Jerusalem Lutheran Church on Startown Road in Hickory. For the past three years, the church has served a Thanksgiving meal to anyone who wants to come. People are bused over from the Hickory Soup Kitchen. Now in its fourth year, the church is anticipating that it will have its largest crowd ever.

"We've already had 189 people from the Hickory Soup Kitchen sign up to come. We only had about 130 sign up ahead of time last year," Lutz said. "We'll also deliver 300 meals to the five elementary schools in the area."

The church talked with guidance counselors at the elementary schools closest to N.C. 10 and Startown Road to see which families from the schools might need a meal on Thanksgiving, Lutz said.

The meal is funded entirely by donations. There's one private company that usually makes a sizeable donation, as well as one company that donates the turkeys for the meal every year. The church raises the money for the rest of the food, Lutz said.

"We have offerings in church, and people in the congregation can make donations directly for this purpose," said congregation member Teresa Vanderlinden. "We're also a member of Food Lion Shop and Share, which links your Food Lion card to our church. We get money from it each quarter, which we put toward this."

Vanderlinden and Lutz said they were concerned they'd have more people this year, but said the church has been lucky because donations for the meal have been up.

The church started its Thanksgiving tradition four years ago when Lutz' wife heard about another church doing something similar.

"She said, 'We could do that,'" Lutz said. "We thought it was a good idea at the church, so we decided to do it."

Lutz has experience in the restaurant business, so he is the person who is usually in the kitchen, ensuring everything is getting cooked on time and there is enough food.

When the church served its first Thanksgiving meal four years ago, 189 people showed up. The second year, about 400 people came. Last year, 780 people ate at the church.

"We keep doubling in size every year," Lutz said. "If we continue to grow, we may cooperate with another church."

Members of the church used three giant smokers to cook the 450 pounds of turkey Wednesday afternoon. David Hefner has cooked the turkeys since the first year. This is the first time he's had more than one smoker for the job.

"I put them on at about 5 p.m., and take them off at about midnight and then store them in coolers," he said.

Hefner is assisted by his uncle, Dale Hefner. David Hefner said the church is lucky that the turkeys come pre-sliced, which makes the work go more quickly later.

The church also has 300 coats to give away to people who need one. New Jerusalem hosts a coat drive each year, to go with its meal.

Congregation member Dalton Hefner, 12, organized a coat drive at his school, Maiden Middle, and received 36 coats in about a week just from there.

"For a young man to do that all by himself is extraordinary," said Vanderlinden, who coordinates the coat giveaway.

The church also will give bags of food to people who want to take one with them. They are filled with crackers, a drink, an apple, pudding, Beanie Weenies and other food.

"We wanted them to have something to take with them, so they can have more than one meal if they want," David said.

Lutz said everyone who comes — to eat and to help out — always has a good time.

"You can't imagine the feeling you get," he said.