A free community Thanksgiving meal will be served at Hopewell Church, 2286 Hopewell Road, Elverson, on Thursday, Nov. 28, from 11 a.m. to 1 p.m. Also offered will be takeout meals ready for pickup, with free delivery available for those who live within 5 miles of the church.

The event, being held for the fourth time at the church, is being organized by congregation member Misty Stoltzfus, who started the outreach to honor her father, who passed away on Thanksgiving several years ago.

"Everybody is welcome," said Stoltzfus. "Maybe you want to have your family over, but you don't have enough space, or you don't want to deal with the mess or cleanup or the cooking. It's (also) for anyone who doesn't have a place to go. It's nice time, and the food is great."

"We fed close to 150 people last year between people (at the church), volunteers and deliveries," she added. "We did 10 deliveries last year, which is two to five meals (each)."

Stoltzfus said that the meal has become a tradition for several local families and individuals. "We had a 98-year-old guy who just ordered (a meal delivery). He was 95 when we started," she said. "It is really special (to be able to serve him)."

This year's menu will include turkey, mashed potatoes, green beans and corn, cranberry sauce and rolls and beverages with homemade pumpkin and apple pie for dessert.

The buffet-style meal will be served in the church's fellowship hall, which is decorated with a fall theme. "People can drop in anytime during those hours or you can stop and take meals to go," Stoltzfus noted. "Diners will come through the line, but we will serve them, and they can go back to their tables to eat."

The food will be prepared by local chef Jamie Francis, who owns his own catering company. Francis will come to the church earlier in the week to prepare the turkeys. Church volunteers will do prep work, such as peeling potatoes, the day before Thanksgiving.

As in past years, the turkeys are donated to the church by the Twin Valley Food Pantry, where Stoltzfus is a volunteer.

The potatoes are donated by Mast Farm - Paul Mast is a church member - and apple cider is provided by Weaver's Orchard. "Church members contribute all the extra stuff - pies, gravy, rolls and butter," Stoltzfus noted, adding that local farmers donated corn, which was frozen fresh this summer. "You can always tell. Fresh corn is so much better," she said.

Leftover food from the dinner goes to the Hope Rescue Mission in Reading, which serves homeless men in Berks County. "The ingredients are used to make turkey casseroles," Stoltzfus noted.

New this year will be a place for diners to express what they are grateful for and to ask for prayers. "(Just like) when we sit around the table on Thanksgiving we say what we are thankful for, there will be a board in the lobby to say the little things you are thankful for and prayer requests," she stated.

Stoltzfus plans to continue the community Thanksgiving outreach. "There is a need in our community," she said. "As long as there is a need and people keep coming, I want to bless the community and offer them a place to go."

To register for the event, to request delivery or to order a takeout meal by Tuesday, Nov. 26, call the church office at 610-286-6308 or email stoltzfusmisty4@gmail.com.

Registration can also be completed by visiting www.hopewellchurch.org, clicking on "Events" and choosing "Thanksgiving Outreach" on the calendar. Guests on Thanksgiving should use the lower entrance of the church.

Volunteers are also needed to help with meal deliveries and for cleanup duties. Interested individuals may email Stoltzfus for details. All volunteers receive a meal as well.

More information about Hopewell Church, which is celebrating its 50th anniversary this year, is available at http://www.facebook.com/HopewellChurchElverson.