By Charlotte Redman
Staff Writer

Thanksgiving is a day to give thanks, which is often shared with family and friends. On Sunday, November 24, 2013 the Geraghty family hosted the annual Geraghty Family and Friends Senior Citizen’s Thanksgiving Dinner in the Westford Academy cafeteria as a way to give back to the community and senior citizens of Westford.

The event was originally set up 15 years ago by Jim Geraghty and came to be a Thanksgiving dinner due to not only his love for the holiday, but its wonderful ability to bring people together.

The atmosphere on Sunday was open and inviting. Each of the seniors was welcomed with open arms by the volunteers who greeted them at the doors. In total about 160 to 180 seniors attended, most of which arrived in clusters, ready to mingle, and some even accompanied by close friends and family. This year the youngest attendees were of preschool age.

The event kicked off at 10 A.M. with a game of bingo, providing all guests and volunteers with a fun way to connect. Bingo winners received prizes that were donated by people and businesses such as the Mojazza-Haghihat’s, Bj’s Club, Starbucks, Panera Bread, Westford Florists, La Bella Dolce, Chili’s, Papa Ginos, Elite Hair Design, Meat Again, In Style, and Bubbles & Polish.

After playing bingo the food started being served at 12 noon. The meal proved to be a true Thanksgiving dinner and consisted of turkey, gravy, stuffing, mashed potatoes, sweet potatoes, peas, sweet corn, and carrots.

“My favorite food is the turkey but I’m always too full for dessert,” said senior guest Judy Clough.

That doesn’t apply to all attendees, however, as some can’t bear to wait for the arrival of dessert.

“There’s apple pie, pecan pie, blueberry pie, you name it! My favorite is the pecan,” said senior guest Jerri Lou Buffo, who has attended all 15 years.

Coffee was donated by the Westford Starbucks and manager Linda Murphy was generous enough to lend a helping hand at the coffee station for the day. All tables featured vibrant red poinsettias as center pieces, which were donated by the Hyslip family.

Local Westford Girl Scout Troop 60560, led by Lynne McEwan, volunteered their time to take orders and assist serving many seniors their meals. They became involved 5 years ago and keep returning because of the amount of fun they have.

“The best part about volunteering is greeting people, helping people get their lunch, and talking to the seniors,” said Girl Scout volunteer Mehul Shivastava.

The event would not be possible without the generous support of all the volunteers who put their time and effort into the planning and execution of the dinner.

“They make me feel like a queen for a day because they’re continuously waiting on us,” said senior guest Rita Dundas, another 15 year veteran.

Just as dinner commenced Geraghty made a speech recognizing all volunteers, noting the involvement of Superintendent of Westford Public Schools Bill Olsen and the Westford Public Schools.

“For the past 15 years Bill Olsen and Westford Public Schools have been a significant partner of the event,” said Geraghty.

Olsen enabled the use of the Westford Academy cafeteria as the location of the Thanksgiving dinner. On Sunday he was present at the event and served food to the seniors.

Along with Olsen, Westford Academy Principal Jim Antonelli attended and helped to prepare food before it was served.

“I love to help out, contribute, and be embraced by the community. It gives you a warm feeling around the holidays to see all the people that come in each year and volunteer their time, especially the students,” said Antonelli.

[doptg id=”57″]