School holds annual feast

By Rolf Boone | The Olympian • Published November 23, 2008

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ROCHESTER – A Thanksgiving meal served by middle school students in Rochester has become a can't-miss affair for many residents of this south Thurston County town.

On Saturday, nearly 600 people lined up for the Rochester Middle School Thanksgiving feast, a free event in its 15th year, said Carrie Black, a math teacher at the school and a feast organizer for the past three years.

Black also is an associated student body adviser and a leadership teacher at the school, and about 24 students from both of those groups volunteered to help Saturday, she said.

Firefighters with the Rochester/Grand Mound fire district also pitched in to serve food. Money for the feast was donated by local businesses, including Northwest Pediatrics and Security State Bank, Black said.

The feast is not geared toward a particular cause, such as feeding families in the area who are in need or the homeless, but is a way of giving back to the community, Black said.

However, she acknowledged that attendance probably was higher this year than last year because of the slower economy.

Rochester is closer to job centers in Centralia and Chehalis in Lewis County than the Olympia area.

Rochester and Lewis County were hit hard by floods last year, and Lewis County's jobless rate rose to 8.3 percent in October, one of the highest rates in the state.

The two-hour feast started at noon, and by 12:45 p.m., 350 people had been served a Thanksgiving meal of turkey, mashed potatoes, corn, rolls, stuffing and pumpkin pie with whipped cream, Black said. Attendees lined up inside the school and sat at one of 24 tables in the cafeteria.

By 1:30, organizers had run out of stuffing and gone through 10 gallons of punch and water, she said. All the food, including 13 turkeys, was prepared at Rochester High School then transferred to the middle school.

Black said she looks forward to the feast every year, not only as a way to help residents but to show middle school students in a positive light.

Among the student volunteers changing place mats and busing tables were Amanda Hamilton and Maddie Smith, both 13 years old and eighth-graders at the school. They also are members of the school's leadership group. Hamilton said it was nice to see everyone enjoying their meal, and Smith appreciated the praise she received for her service.

Janet Graham of Rochester said many residents mark the date of the feast on their calendars.

"Everybody knows it has been happening every year," she said.

Graham pointed out the feast coincides with a holiday bazaar in the school's gym, where 20 to 40 vendors were doing business Saturday. Graham was selling fresh nuts as part of a women's group associated with St. Timothy Episcopal Church in Chehalis.

Vern and Beverly Stapp of Rochester attended the feast for the second time, they said. They enjoyed their meal but still planned a Thanksgiving Day meal with family in Olympia.

Rolf Boone is a reporter for The Olympian. He can be reached at 360-754-5403 or rboone@theolympian.com.