The community lined up for the second annual Frances and Doug Reese Memorial Community Thanksgiving Meal Wednesday night at Hopewell Baptist Church in Hanceville. (Christy Perry for The Cullman Tribune)
HANCEVILLE – The cold and rain did not stop folks from coming out for Hopewell Baptist Church’s second annual Frances and Doug Reese Memorial Community Thanksgiving Meal Wednesday night. The church’s fellowship hall was full of families enjoying the amazing turkey and dressing dinner.
Pastor Layne Howard said, “The entire congregation worked together to make this happen.”
Close to 300 people had come for either a sit-down or to-go meal in the first hour.
Church member Pat Hamilton said, “We were kind of worried about the weather being a problem, but it hasn’t been. We cooked all day yesterday and today for this. We served 336 people last year, so we will have more this year.”
Hamilton spoke about Frances and Doug Reese: “They were such giving and wonderful people. Doug was a deacon and Frances was always in the kitchen here. Her mother was here before Frances. They went on all the church mission trips.”
Howard and his wife Kathy brought the idea of Thanksgiving for the community when they moved to Hopewell from Duck River.
Howard explained, “My wife is the person who really deserves a lot of credit. She wasn’t feeling well and is at home. The church cooked nine 22-pound turkeys and nine pans of dressing! We are thrilled, and everything turned out really well. We got to meet a lot of our neighbors and had fun. I hope people enjoyed the fellowship as much as they did the food.”
Along with the turkey and dressing, the church served green beans, sweet potato casserole, slaw and rolls. The dessert table included Jane Tolbert’s delicious coconut cake and Sandy Miller’s amazing strawberry cake.
Learn more about Hopewell Baptist at www.facebook.com/HopewellHanceville.
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