MANY WILL spend some time this weekend finalizing their Thanksgiving plans. Little details like who is coming and what to bring will be decided as people look forward to spending the day with friends and family.
The thought of spending the day alone doesn't seem right; a frozen dinner in front of the television can't compare to a dinner with others.
That's why Brooklyn Park activist Frances Jones is doing everything she can to ensure that everyone will be able to have a home-cooked Thanksgiving dinner this week. At noon Tuesday, she will prepare her annual dinner for area seniors at the Arundel Improvement Association Hall, 705 Cross St.
Jones, director and CEO of the county's Senior CASOS program, said she has prepared the dinner each year for longer than she can remember.
"I just do it for the community. I can't remember how many years it's been," she said.
Last year, she was host to 40 people, and she expects more to attend this year.
"I don't keep a survey, I'm busy cooking. But the way the calls are coming in, I expect we will have more this year. People who come aren't just from Brooklyn Park. People come from Glen Burnie and Pasadena. One lady who called lived on the other side of Annapolis," Jones said.
The menu will include turkey, mashed potatoes, string beans and sauerkraut. "I'll keep serving and give it all away," Jones said. "And thank goodness for the Brooklyn Park fire station. Every year they come through with a donation. I don't even have to ask."
Jones has been president of the Arundel Improvement Association for 23 years and still makes time to work with Veterans of Foreign Wars and Community Advocates for Senior Opportunities and Services.
CASOS helps needy seniors. Jones explained that many seniors are alone and often must choose between purchasing medication and purchasing food. "The costs [of medications] are astronomical," she said. "I see people walk out of the store with a $132 bill. Often the doctor could prescribe something [comparable] that costs less," she said. "We will try to help them out if we can."
Why does she do it? "Well, if I didn't, I'd probably be glued to the TV, and I refuse to be that way," Jones said. "I go out and help people. George Sturgeon [longtime principal of Brooklyn Park Elementary School] said that you never know the weight of the pack until you put it on your own back. I know about seniors."
Information: 410-789-2192.
Jones isn't the only Brooklyn Parker working to provide people with a Thanksgiving dinner. St. John United Methodist Church, the Taxpayers Improvement Association of Pumphrey, Community Baptist Church and the North Cluster of Churches are sponsoring a Thanksgiving dinner Thursday at Lloyd Keaser Center, 5757 Belle Grove Road.
The Rev. Susan A. Spears, pastor of St. John, will lead a service at 10 a.m. Dinner will be served from 11:30 a.m. until 4 p.m.
Those who are unable to make the trip to the Keaser Center can arrange for a meal to be delivered. Call 410-636-2578 or 410-789-6603 before Wednesday to schedule the delivery.
On Thursday as we give thanks for the joys in our life, we can give also give thanks for folks like Frances Jones and the volunteers working at the Keaser Center. It's people like them who make Brooklyn Park such a special place to live.