Serving up cheer: Volunteers put on Thanksgiving dinners for the elderly, young sailors

TV commercials and lifestyle magazines bring to mind images of a Thanksgiving Day table full not just of food, but also of family sitting around it.

But what if you are alone for the holiday? Or living far from home?

Several organizations took care of that Thursday for groups of people spending the holiday away from loved ones.

The Little Brothers Friends of the Elderly have been doing “friendsgiving” long before the word was invented.

Besides a big dinner in Chicago that fed hundreds of people, the nonprofit organization also had an intimate gathering at Audrey’s House, a vacation facility near Batavia.

A half-dozen people, plus volunteers, enjoyed fellowship Thursday afternoon.

The diners came from DuPage and Kane counties.

“For pumpkin pie, I did not have space. For pecan pie, I have space,” joked Luidmila Rudenko of Wheaton, after the turkey and trimmings had been cleared from the table.

Rudenko has children and grandchildren. But they live in Florida.

She participates in LBFE events about a half-dozen times a year, she said.

Thanks to LBFE, “We have options. (We) don’t have to sit home when everyone is celebrating,” she said.

John Wilhelm of Batavia proclaimed the dinner “dee-licious,” after polishing off a plate. He said he started attending LBFE events about three years ago.

And Aquinette Washington of Glen Ellyn said her activities with LBFE “encourage me to just get on with my life.” She has two children and three grandchildren who live nearby, but she wanted to let them enjoy Thanksgiving Day with other people.

Josh Chartier, LBFE’s director of volunteer services, described the dinner as “a group of friends sharing a meal together.”

LBFE fights loneliness and isolation in the elderly. It has been doing so since 1959. According to LBFE, one out of every two adults it serves are extremely isolated and could not count on having two 30-minute conversations in a month without LBFE’s involvement.

Volunteers and staff do in-home visits, monthly parties, luncheons, summer vacations at Audrey’s House, and a monthly food bag delivery, among other things.

Chartier said many of the people served have children and grandchildren, but family may not live nearby or are busy. And feelings of loneliness and isolation can become a self-fulfilling circle: If you feel like no one cares about you, you may stop doing things that put you in connection with other people.

Consistent contact with the LBFE team “can help pull them out of that feeling of loneliness,” he said.

And oftentimes, he said, it helps the volunteers, too, if they find themselves alone on a holiday.

Serving service members

At American Legion Post 690 in Palatine, recruits stationed at Great Lakes Naval Station enjoyed a home-style meal, through the Recruit Training Center’s Adopt-A-Sailor program.

“It feels great. I haven’t had a Thanksgiving like this before,” said Daniela Encinia of Baxley, Georgia.

“I want to say, thank you very much,” said Jania Benton of Atlanta.

Eighteen organizations hosted recruits Thursday. Besides the meal, the recruits made phone calls home and enjoyed other relaxing activities.

Rhesha Driscoll of Palatine, one of the volunteer organizers, said of the 32 recruits hosted a majority were women. “We’ve never had that. This is awesome.”

“The Adopt-A-Sailor program reflects the strong bond between RTC and our surrounding communities,” said Capt. Ken Froberg, commanding officer for Recruit Training Command, in a news release. “Year after year, volunteers open their doors and their hearts, and that gesture makes a lasting impact for our future sailors.”

• Karie Angell Luc contributed to this report.