Volunteers are still tallying up the final number of meals served, but Community Friends co-chairman Les Schultz said they had planned for 1,500 meals this year, which is a little higher than average.

“There are a crazy number of take-out orders this year,” Schultz said. Last year, a total of 500 take-out meals were served, but Schultz was confident they would surpass that number this year.

The dine-in numbers were also relatively high. There were still over 150 people waiting for dine-in by noon.

Fellow Community Friends co-chair Mary Ellen Schanus said the annual Thanksgiving meal seemed to be getting bigger every year, with more people attending. She took it as a sign they were giving the community a high-quality Thanksgiving experience.

Dine-in guests at the New Ulm Community Friends Thanksgiving dinner move through the line, loading up plates with turkey, potatoes, stuffing, corn, squash and cranberries.

This year, the Community Friends saw a lot of extra community support. Typically, Community Friends would buy the produce themselves, but this year they saw a generous donation from Gulden Family Farm. Due to a bumper crop, Gulden was able to donate 300 pounds of squash, 65 pounds of onions and 500 pounds of potatoes. A second farmer was able to donate another 150 pounds of squash.

Schultz and Schanus also needed to thank Paul’s Electric for a last-minute save.

Schultz said the day started out with a brief scare. They were experiencing power failures at St. Mary’s two hours before the meal started.

“We started blowing fuses,” Schultz said. “That’s the first time in 37 years that happened.”

They made a quick call to Paul’s Electric, who sent over an electrician who was able to resolve the problem and save the meal.

Dylan Jackson, a volunteer for the New Ulm Community Friends Thanksgiving dinner, waves over dine-in guests to an open table.

“We have to give a big thanks to Paul’s Electric for helping,” Schultz said.

After the brief electrical hiccup, everything went smoothly.

Community Friends board member Lynn Rowley this year there were 2,000 volunteer hours put into serving the meal from 175 volunteers. These was higher numbers than in past years. Rowley noticed there were more first-time volunteers this year.

“It is great to mix the new volunteers in with the longtime volunteers,” Rowley said. She noted that this year they were ahead of schedule with the meal preparation.

Rowley has served on the Community Friends Thanksgiving board for 10 years, but has volunteered with the dinner for 12 years.

The take-out line at the New Ulm Community Friends Thanksgiving was busy Thursday. The number of take-out meals was higher than normal. Idalia Saenz and ReBecca Geiger (right) served up the corn and squash. Though it was busy Saenz and Geiger said it was fun to help.

“This is fun,” she said. “It is about camaraderie and the coming together of the community. I am so happy people come here to spend Thanksgiving with us.”

It is not unusual to see entire families volunteer during the dinner. The Hernandez family, which includes Benito, Lorena, Lorenzo, Julian and Jocelyn has all volunteered for the meal for the last four years.

Lorenzo Hernandez said four years ago, Schultz reached out to them to help with the dinner and no one in the family hesitated to lend a hand.

Lorenzo Hernandez said he, his brother, Julian, and father, Benito, typically help with a lot of heavy lifting and food preparation. His mother, Lorena, and sister, Jocelyn, help with the desserts. This year, Jocelyn also helped create some of the Thanksgiving decorations seen in the dining hall.

“We all love being here with each other,” Lorenzo Hernandez said. “It’s a great family tradition we can share with the community.”

The Community Friends Thanksgiving diner Thursday was a chance for local Emergency Medical Services (EMS) workers to get a holiday meal before the start their duty shift. L to R: Mike Euerly, Craig Portner, Tim Portner and John Zinnel.

Among the returning volunteers were many first-time volunteers, including Rosi Geer, who led guests to their tables. Geer said she wanted to volunteer after attending as a guest the previous year and seeing how much joy it brought the community.

Dylan Jackson, another first-time volunteer, said his grandmother convinced the family to help out this year at the community meal.

“It is a nice way to help out and a fun way to spend the day with the community,” Jackson said.

First-time volunteers Rebecca Geiger and Idalia Saenz served food in the take-out line. Though the line was long throughout the meal, two said it was a lot of fun to do.

Paul Rose volunteered to clear tables during the food service. He said for years he wanted to volunteer for the Community Thanksgiving meal, but everything finally lined up.

Volunteer Lorena Hernandez scoops up a slice of pumpkin pie for a take-out box.

“I am not having my Thanksgiving with the family until Saturday, so I might as well help today,” he said.

New Ulm’s Community Friends Thanksgiving was started by Jim Thomas and his family 37 years ago. The Thomas family was planning to leave New Ulm for Thanksgiving, but a snowstorm prevented them from traveling. Thomas and his family stayed in New Ulm and celebrated Thanksgiving with other families in town, including the Bill Koeckeritz family. They continued to organize the dinner for years as it continued to grow into a community tradition.

The Thanksgiving meal is offered free of charge, but free-will donations are accepted. There is no suggested donation; people are asked to donate what they can.

The Larson family gathers together at the Community Friends Thanksgiving dinner. The Larsons regularly attended the meal. Left to Right: Karen Haack, Caleb Larson, Joe Larson, Will Larson and Kyle Larson.

The St. Mary’s Church of New Ulm dining hall was filled for the Community Friends Thanksgiving dinner Thursday. On average, the 1,300 meals are served by the Community Friends.