‘It’s very unifying.’ Over 100 gather in Boise for 8th annual community Thanksgiving

Over 150 Boiseans enjoyed a Thanksgiving dinner waited on by 40 volunteers at Whitney Elementary School on Wednesday night.

For the last eight years, the Department of Parks and Recreation, Whitney Elementary School and Sojourn Church have teamed up to provide Boise families a new form of community tradition.

“I live just six blocks away, and as a church we decided to get together and put on an annual event in the form of a meal,” said Dusty Benner, pastor at Sojourn Church. “For some families, this ends up being their only Thanksgiving meal.”

This year, the event took place in the evening to allow for parents to come in after working hours, according to Barbara English, youth recreation specialist at Boise Parks and Recreation.

April Hill, librarian at Whitney Elementary, decided to volunteer for the first time.

“I have seen a lot of students already come through,” Hill said. “I think that this is an amazing event for the community— I love that they do it like a restaurant-style and have music. It’s very unifying.”

However, the setup prior to the event is also a large community effort. Throughout the week, children who also attend the community center at Whitney Elementary School helped to craft the table centerpieces. Each centerpiece included golden painted jars and glittered leaves annotated with what each student is thankful for.

The event, though hosted at Whitney Elementary, welcomes folks from across all neighborhoods, ages and demographics, with volunteers even providing rides to elderly citizens and families. Also among the attendees were Idaho state Reps. Sue Chew and John Gannon, Boise City Council member Liza Sanchez and Boise mayoral candidate Lauren McLean.

“We feel like a lot of the families in this area don’t get an opportunity to have a fancier dinner,” said event decorator Amber Jensen. “And that was our thought, just giving them that fancier family meal without the budget.”

This story was originally published November 27, 2019 at 7:58 PM.