Celebration and giving was in the air Nov. 21 when Rotarians from the Rotary Club of Edina and the Edina Morningside Rotary Club, along with family and friends, gathered at the Edina Country Club to assemble 80 Thanksgiving baskets. Then teams delivered the baskets to families in need in our community. The annual event was chaired again this year by Michael Stanzak, with help from Mary Hustad.
Approximately 90 noon Rotarians and guests joined with 33 Edina Morningside Rotarians and guests on a beautiful fall afternoon. They were warmly met by greeters Les Wanninger and Jon Barnett. Our front desk was carefully attended to by Jack Kennifick and Jennifer Garske. The Nate Wenner family led us in the Pledge of Allegiance. Michael Stanzak led us in the invocation.
After a delicious soup, salad and sandwich lunch, we were able to get the sound system at Edina Country Club working and we watched a short Ted Talk on GRATITUDE by Louis Schwartzberg. After thanking the numerous people who contributed to the Thanksgiving Baskets program, Mary Hustad and Michael Stanzak called down families and teams to assemble the 80 overflowing baskets of food. After a quick picture by Rick Carlson or John Flynn, the teams assembled the baskets consisting of:
- 13-pound cooked turkey
- Quart of mashed potatoes
- Quart of gravy
- Quart of cranberries
- 2 cans of corn
- 2 cans of beans
- 1 can of peas
- 1 can of sweet potatoes
- 1 can of fruit cocktail
- Loaf of bread
- Bag of oranges
- Huge pumpkin pie
- Hats and gloves for the kids (donated by Ted Field's Warm Hands, Warm Heads, Warm Hearts program)
With great thanks the Rotarians dutifully went on their routes and delivered the baskets to appreciative families in Edina and neighboring communities. THANK YOU ROTARIANS for a job well done!
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