Between dine-in, takeout and delivery, over 500 meals were served within the first 30 minutes of the community dinner. The meal averages around 1,300 meals served. The line for a dine-in plate was around 50 people deep for the first hour. The take-out line was usually 10 people deep.

Community Thanksgiving committee co-chair Les Schultz said year’s meal went really well. There was an increase of volunteers from last year, with around 125 people helping cook, serve, clear and wash dishes.

Preparation for the meal began earlier this week. On Monday, a group of 3M employees work on the squash. On Tuesday, volunteers started cooking the turkeys. This year they had 42 turkeys weighing 24-pound each. Around 30 were cooked on Tuesday, the remaining turkeys were put in the oven on Wednesday.

There were two new additions to the meal this year. Schultz said they used butter gravy and added brown sugar to the squash. He said both additions were well received.

Lorrna Luepke (left) and Robin Grewe (right) volunteer as servers at the Community Friends Thanksgiving. Grewe serves up the coleslaw and cranberries. Luepke hands out the dinner roll.

The community dinner also received some additional food donations from Sweet Spot Bake Shop in Fairfax. The bakery donated 22 pies and several batches of special holiday cookies.

“It was very appreciated,” Schultz said.

The holiday cookies were a big hit this year. Volunteer Lorena Hernandez was helping distribute dessert and said the cookies were going fast.

Many of the volunteers are regulars. It is a part of their Thanksgiving tradition to work at the community Thanksgiving.

John Luepke said he’s been volunteering with the meal for 25 years. On Monday, he helped prepare the squash. During the meal helped served corn in the take-out line.

New Ulm Community Friends Thanksgiving volunteer Woody Wurtzberger served up the corn during Thursdays meal. In addition to the corn, a full plate came with turkey, stuffing, squash, mashed potatoes, cranberries, coleslaw, cranberries and dessert. For dessert, guests had a choice of pumpkin pie or sugar cookie.

Luepke said he volunteers because he likes Thanksgiving and he likes visiting with people.

“I get to see old friends this way,” he said.

Luepke is usually joined by other members of his family. This year his daughter Kristen Schroeder visited from St. Cloud and volunteered clearing tables.

Schroeder said it was kind of family tradition to help volunteer during the community Thanksgiving. She was 12 the first time she volunteered. However, this was the first time she has been able to help since the COVID pandemic. She said a few things had changed, but it was still fun.

For some families, it was their first time attending the Community Friends Thanksgiving. The Gersch family came with eight family members spread across two tables. Two of the family members had agreed to volunteer with the meal. Ask how the meal went, the Gersch family praised the food.

The Sobania family sits down to a meal at the New Ulm Community Friends Thanksgiving. The Sobania family has attended the meal off and on over the years, but Jessie Sobania (left) is expecting a sixth child within the next 10 days. She decided it would be best to not cook a meal this year. L to R: Jessie Sobania, Ezra Sobania, Rohan Sobania, Finlay Sobania, Matt Sobania, Isla Sobania and Techla Sobania.

“This meal was way easier for grandma,” Dell Gersch said.

The Community Friends Thanksgiving can be a lifesaver for large families with limited time to prepare a big meal.

Jessie Sobania is the mother of five children with a sixth on the way.

“I am due in 10 days,” she said. “I decided against trying to cook this year.”

Sobania said the family was perfectly happy to attend the community Thanksgiving. All the children were pleased with the food and the service. Her son Finlay was especially fond of the mashed potatoes.

Around 125 volunteers helped during New Ulm Community Friends Thanksgiving dinner. Lisa Kaye (left) and Maya Wood (right) helped serve the turkey and mashed potatoes.

The Thanksgiving meal is offered free of charge, but free-will donations are accepted. There is no suggested donation, people are asked to donate what they can. Schultz said some years the event will lose money but often there is a small profit from donations.