Thursday, November 22, 2012

Thanksgiving Day Meals on Wheels


Teacher Leaves Her Mark
They Can Still Work Together
Love Staying in Touch

Incredible as it may seem, Jim, my DH, still sees his second grade teacher.  Over the years, many of the boys who were taught by this remarkable woman occasionally take her out to lunch. During this Thanksgiving season, Jim and I volunteered with "Rosie" on one of her many pet projects, Thanksgiving Day Meals on Wheels. For several weeks beforehand we and others met at the founder's home, which is equipped with many phone banks to take orders from families.

A brief history of Thanksgiving Day Meals on Wheels in the Metro area:  The many volunteers prepare meals consisting of turkey, dressing, potatoes, vegetable, cranberries, rolls, and pumpkin or apple pie for families in need and delivers those meals to their homes on Thanksgiving Day. The founders, Bill Foussard and Barb Aslesen, work together with 2,000 volunteers who prepare and deliver the meals on Thanksgiving Day. The organization has grown from preparing 24 meals for 3 families on Thanksgiving Day in 1970 in St. Paul, to preparing 16,000 meals delivered to over 3,000 families last year. This year 19,000 meals will be delivered on Thanksgiving Day morning in the Metro area. It's a huge task but merchants and volunteers make this day successful. A big thank you to Bill and Barb who began this tradition so many years ago! 

And, thank you "Rosie" for staying in my husband's life!

22 comments:

  1. That is a great intiative that has grown to a big business. Nice tribute to the founder.

    ReplyDelete
  2. I love reading about good deeds like this. Great picture. What a keepsake.

    Happy Thanksgiving...Janey

    ReplyDelete
  3. This is a truly heartwarming story, on so many levels. We have Meals on Wheels here so now I will have to see if they also do the Thanksgiving programme; it's something I would like to volunteer for.

    Thank you for sharing this and have a joyous Thanksgiving.

    ReplyDelete
  4. It looks like Rosie taught you husband well, and is continuing to do so, which illustrates that learning is a life-long process.

    ReplyDelete
  5. That is awesome that she is still so active and working hard to help this day be a good one for others. Have a wonderful day, Kate.

    ReplyDelete
  6. Special blessings to the good folks that give unselfishly to see that the less fortunate or homebound receives a Thanksgiving meal. What a wonderful thing to do!

    ReplyDelete
  7. oh this is a beautiful post! i love that! happy thanksgiving!!

    ReplyDelete
  8. This is so sweet! I love staying in touch with my old students. This is one lucky teacher.

    Happy Thanksgiving, Kate and Jim!

    ReplyDelete
  9. Wow! She must have been a young girl back then, she looks great. What a nice way to give back to the community. Have a wonderful Thanksgiving.

    ReplyDelete
  10. You are absolutely right. She was only 18 when she taught these students and was sworn to secrecy by the principal so that the parents would not know her age. Since then she has taught in several different school in the Twin Cities, worked at various social services and has taught many of the current notables in this area. She is a real treasure, keeping up with so many of her former students.

    ReplyDelete
  11. Second grade teacher? I can't even remember where I went to school in 2nd grade! Oh, yes, it was in Duluth! That's amazing. And Meals on Wheels is a wonderful program!

    Hope your Thanksgiving is stuffed with turkey and other goodies!

    ReplyDelete
  12. A perfect story for today. Mrs. Kibler where are you?

    ReplyDelete
  13. Happy Thanksgiving, Kate!

    ReplyDelete
  14. What a lovely thing to do on Thanksgiving. Have a wonderful holiday!

    ReplyDelete
  15. Meals on Wheels is a great cause. Jim's teacher sounds like she left a mark on a lot of kids, now that's a role model.

    ReplyDelete
  16. That is wonderful. I hope you had a wonderful and happy day.

    ReplyDelete
  17. Lovely entry!

    Stopping by to wish you a Happy Thanksgiving!

    ReplyDelete
  18. Teachers sure do make a difference, as you know so well. I am greatly impressed that your husband stays in touch with a second grade teacher! My more memorable teachers were in higher grades. I don't have connections with the town where I grew up, so I don't have connections with any old teachers.

    ReplyDelete
  19. Wow! I think it's great that your DH keeps in touch with his old teacher. And what a wonderful way to spend Thanksgiving. Helping people is what it's all about!
    PS: Hope the extra serving of stuffing was tasty! That's my favorite part of T-day.

    ReplyDelete
  20. Neatest blog of Thanksgiving! What a fine man you married to keep in touch with one of his teachers and even help her out with the meals. Sweet!

    ReplyDelete
  21. What a great thing that you could help her with this project! I love knowing how teachers reach far into their students' lives as good role models.

    ReplyDelete
  22. The most heartwarming Thanksgiving post I've read Kate..hats off to all involved.

    ReplyDelete

Thanks for visiting my blog; I appreciate it! Come back often!!