News and Events COMMUNITY In the News Community Gathers For Holiday Feast At School
AURORA — Community Christian Church Pastor Sue Natiello appreciated everything Aurora residents have done for her church, such as holding Sunday services at Allen Elementary School, so she decided to return the favor with a communitywide Thanksgiving feast. About 780 people signed up for the meal, served in the Allen cafeteria Saturday. There was no fee. The only admission request was to bring a side dish or dessert. Some people went all out and brought dishes like green bean casserole and walnut salad; others stopped at the grocery store and picked up a box of cookies on their way. Still others brought nothing because they had nothing. "We were looking for ways that we can serve this community," Natiello said. "We wanted to provide a meal for some people and bring the community together at the same time. We wanted to do more than just impersonally donate supplies. " The Aceves family was drawn quickly to the dessert room, where they found pumpkin pie, flan, cheesecake, coffee cake, and cookies. Susie, 4 and Jose, 6, loaded their plates with cookies and coffee cake while their mom, Maria, juggled a plate and 10-month-old Stephanie, who was happily covered with chocolate."We just came for the dessert," Jose said, rolling his eyes as his mother indicated they would be eating dinner later on.
Allen Principal Karen Mink said the church has been generous with the school in the past, by providing such things as Christmas baskets, and she was glad to help. The placemats, crafted by the school's students, were made of laminated colored paper and decorated with brief holiday notes. Kindergarten teacher Stephanie Paul worked hard to make the event, which included three separate meal services, a success. "We talked about giving away baskets, but then we thought it would be better to have a community event and provide a good dinner to everyone," she said Members of the East High Reserve Officers Training Corps, dressed in uniform, acted as monitors and hosts. Jose Cabadas, said he especially enjoyed helping out because he attended Allen, and his brother, Omar, is in fourth grade there. "We never had anything like this when I was in school here," he said. John and Heather Hruska, who attend Community Christian Church, volunteered for a three-hour stint of cleaning up and monitoring rooms. John said he likes the feeling that comes from helping others. "It just keeps me humble," he said. "I was brought up to believe you have to donate a certain amount of time to helping others." Heather agreed. "It's rewarding to help people you normally wouldn't be able to help," she said. "Everyone is having a great time. It's been a very fun partnership," Natiello said. "We would like to debrief afterwards and talk about making it an annual event. It's a learn-as-you-go process."
Event sponsors in addition to the church and ROTC were the Allen PTO, Allen school staff, East Aurora School District, East High DECA students and Bigelow Homes. Some pitched in for the turkey, gravy, stuffing and beverages. Others volunteered their time. The feast is part of Allen's One School-One Community campaign to unite the diverse neighborhoods of Aurora.
