Friendship dinner another success

To the editor:

First of all, thanks to each of you for the role you played in planning, funding, volunteering, cleaning, sharing of equipment and/or a myriad of other tasks and services that went into the 20th annual Christmas Friendship Dinner.

Many of the compliments we received were based on the planning and smooth operation at the dinner. The "official best guess" number this year is 2,850, including the pre-planned home deliveries (we also delivered for Santa Cop and Heroes applicants this year) from Talkeetna to Sutton, as well as meals requested for a neighbor at the event.

Cooked or opened-package leftovers were picked up by representatives of Dorothy Saxton Shelter and Wasilla Area Seniors. Donated individual-sized items were taken to the homebound with the hot meal. Organic scraps went to a couple of pig farmers. Valley Center for Recycling Solutions volunteers spent the day screening garbage for materials that could be accepted and packing it for recycling. Nothing was wasted.

About 40 volunteers, including a Boy Scout troop and a group from a halfway house, came on Dec. 26 to take down the tables, chairs, floor decorations, clean the kitchen, etc. Vans were returned to Wasilla and Palmer senior centers. First Student buses, with drivers, provided shuttle services within the parking lots on Sunday. Kristen Cole's moving box van was busy shuttling turkeys and other goods. The customers of Sysco Foods and the clients of Curves contributed the bulk of the food. Milk and perishable foods that would not survive the two-week break were donated by the Mat-Su Borough School District.

Many individual and corporate cash donors have been very generous. The city of Wasilla has been generous with waiving of many fees for the building use, Mat-Su RC&D is our nonprofit "sponsor of record" and Houston Lions Club covers our insurance. Meier Lake Conference Center allows us to use its ovens to cook the turkeys and hams.

Individuals contributed desserts, participated in the split-the-pot at the bingo hall to raise funds for us, contributed to toy and food drives, donated books, handmade items for gift boxes, etc. We will never know the hours they spent or who they are. I know I'm missing pieces and apologize in advance.

Far more than 300 volunteers documented participated throughout the planning and implementation of the dinner. Recorded volunteer hours are still being tallied.

Without each individual contribution, the Christmas Friendship Dinner would not happen

As always, there are things to learn and things to do differently. Please know that you are welcome at our wrap-up meeting at 10 a.m., Jan. 21, 2012, at the Curtis D. Menard Memorial Sports Center, at which time we'll share our tear-jerking stories as well as take time to examine what we could do differently next time around. Your perspective and comments will be most helpful. If you know you cannot attend, send your comments to Rick, our secretary, at CFD@mtaonline.net.

Also, our annual meeting is at 10 a.m., March 10, 2012, at the Menard. We will be electing (or re-electing) four members of the steering committee. The folks whose terms are up are Chris Comito, Alice Hollinger, Kurt Jarmer and Elsie O'Bryan. We will also be reviewing any needed bylaw changes. The steering committee starts meeting in August an average of every two weeks for a couple of hours on Saturdays at 9 a.m., then the first of October switches to weekly meetings and later combines with the general meeting when it gets to the "stop talking and start doing" stage in November.

If you are interested in being on the steering committee and/or taking a committee lead position, the by-laws require attendance at 75 percent of the planning meetings. The reason for this requirement is that each element needs to be coordinated with others, and without being at the meetings, it is very difficult to know how things are fitting together and/or what the status might be. Another thing to be aware of is that all are welcome at the steering committee meetings (with the very rare exception of executive sessions) and may offer comments in the meetings, but only the elected committee members have a vote. The chair only has a vote in case of a tie.

Because of your help, the folks who came to enjoy the meal only saw the duck swimming smoothly, even though we know that his feet were furiously paddling underneath the surface!

Again, thank you for your contributions of time, money, goods, equipment, services and especially prayers.

Elsie M. O'Bryan, chair

Christmas Friendship Dinner Steering

Committee