Flander family serves hundreds during modified 15th Community Thanksgiving Dinner - The Recorder

By JOSHUA THOMAS

Staff Writer

ST. JOHNSVILLE — With the much-appreciated assistance of countless volunteers and donors, the Flander family has served hundreds each year for the past 15 during the annual Community Thanksgiving Dinner at the H.C. Smith Benefit Club. Because of COVID-19, this year’s dinner was different in ways the Flanders could’ve never anticipated. Yet Thursday’s modified take-out- and delivery-only version of the event still went off smoothly, serving between 600 and 700 people.

The Community Thanksgiving Dinner began decades ago, spearheaded by beloved community member Kathy Flander, with assistance from Paul Tonko. Kathy’s goal in hosting the annual meal at the Fort Plain Senior Center was to bring together various swaths of the community, notably sections of it — seniors and youth, for instance — that wouldn’t normally have the capacity to get to know one another.

While the meal continued to gain popularity every year, its founder passed away, leaving behind a grieving family and community.

Kathy also left behind a legendary legacy of kindness. 

After 10 years of mourning his mother, Patrick Flander told his brother, Tom, that he felt it was finally time to resurrect his mother’s popular annual Thanksgiving tradition.

“Fifteen years ago,” said Tom, “We were mourning my mom’s death and he [Patrick] said, ‘I think it’s about time we get this going again.’

We sat at the house and came up with a master plan, and here we are 15 years later.”

With that, the family — Kathy’s widower, Tom, Sr.; sons, Patrick and Tom, Jr.; Tom’s wife, Kim; and Tom and Kim’s children, Jonathan and Danielle — went to work. They created a new version of the Community Family Dinner in St. Johnsville, inviting families into the benefit club’s spacious dining hall for a meal and offering a wide-ranging delivery option.

This year, when COVID-19 hit, the Flander family was initially unsure whether they’d even be permitted to hold such an event, let alone whether it would be safe to do so.

With social distancing being a constant consideration, this year’s event, said Tom, “Went against everything my mother created.”

He explained, “When she created the Thanksgiving dinner, it was all about fellowship — getting people together who didn’t have people at home — getting people to eat together who didn’t have family.”

Tom added that despite the unusual and non-ideal circumstances this year, the dinner provided the community with an opportunity “to finally feel a little bit normal.”

Preparation for Thursday’s meal began several weeks ago, with three bushels of squash first being readied. In the days leading up to the community dinner, the Flander family and volunteers cooked 300 pounds of potatoes — 100 pounds more than usual — along with 49 turkeys, stuffing, corn and various sides.

About 70 pies were donated, with nearly all of the 600-plus slices having been handed out by the dinner’s 1 p.m. conclusion.

On Thanksgiving morning, the Flanders arrived at the H.C. Smith Benefit Club around 5:30 a.m. to complete preparations. They started assembling meals at 8:30 a.m. in order to have the 400 pre-ordered deliveries ready to go by 11.

Kim took phone orders and lined up all deliveries this year, noting that though the process was harder and significantly more stressful than usual, it was rewarding to hear people express joy that the dinner was still taking place.

“We had one woman call and say it helped her feel normal,” Kim said. “She said she felt so good when she found out she could still get a dinner — that she could still be a part of it.”

She also pointed out that while people weren’t allowed to share time and conversation at the benefit club this year, the spirit of community remained alive and well. “It seemed like everybody was watching out for their neighbors this year,” she said, as many individuals ordered several dinners to distribute throughout their neighborhoods. Children also placed orders to alleviate the stressful Thanksgiving preparation process for their parents.

This year’s event was shortened to two hours, with two stations constantly running in the dining room instead of in the relatively-cramped kitchen. Only eight people were allowed at a station at a time, each volunteer wearing a mask and gloves while preparing meals.

Some volunteers were turned away, Tom said: “We had to turn away a lot of people this year,”  and in turn those volunteers who did serve Thursday worked a bit harder because of it. Usually, while the event utilizes about 30 volunteers assisting with preparation and serving, that number was reduced to 15 this year.

More drivers were needed than ever this Thanksgiving, with about 20 working consistently Thursday. While Jonathan — who literally grew up at the annual dinner — generally volunteers in the kitchen and dining room with his family, he and four friends made deliveries throughout Canajoharie this year.

Though 2020 has been anything but normal, especially for struggling area businesses, Tom said, “We had a ton of donations this year.” He said, “Businesses that have been hard up have given us a lot of donations.” Tom was grateful for all the help and especially called out the Town of Mohawk and St. Johnsville volunteer fire departments, which both provided significant funding.

One of the most impactful differences with this year’s Community Thanksgiving Dinner, said Tom, was the fact that there was no in-person fellowship. Each member of the Flander family annually enjoys hearing stories about Kathy and the community events she held, and Jonathan and Danielle both previously said that such stories help them feel close to the grandmother they never really had a chance to get to know.

While Tom said he missed sitting down and talking with guests last Thursday, he explained that overall “We really enjoyed this year!” It brought back a bit of normalcy not only for the community, but for the Flander family as well.

“I like to watch Hallmark movies,” Tom pointed out. “I always want to be in a Hallmark movie, and this year — thanks to the community — I truly felt like I was.

“I think my mother would’ve been very proud of us.”