For 10 years, the parish of St. Athanasius Church in West View has opened its doors on Thanksgiving Day to serve a meal to those who otherwise would eat alone.

The dinner takes many hands to prepare -- including those of the 78 students at St. Athanasius School.

"We want to teach our children to care about others, and this is a fun project to do just that," said Gabrielle Yingling, principal of the school, which contains kindergarten through eighth grade. The students create place mats, favors and decorations for the dinner. A few help serve the meal with their families.

Organized by Sister Michelle Quinn, parish social service minister, the dinner usually feeds 40 to 50 people each year.

Early in November, Sister Michelle puts out a call for parishioners to volunteer for the many tasks required to host the dinner. She usually gets 30 to 40 takers, she said, but in some years as many as 50 have volunteered. Some offer to bring in prepared food, some help set the table and decorate, some serve and some clean up. Others offer transportation to those who need assistance getting to the church. Some sign up for more than one task, Sister Michelle said, and she coordinates the list. Diners register so organizers know how much food is needed.

"It's a total parish effort," Ms. Yingling said.

The night before Thanksgiving, church members set the tables with linen table cloths, china that a church member lends for the occasion and wine glasses. "Everything is donated," Sister Michelle said, except for a few expenses such as condiments and wine.

On Thanksgiving morning, parishioners deliver the food -- they usually get about five turkeys -- and at noon, the meal is served. Not only do the guests get a home-cooked meal, they also get a meal to take home. "We thought it would be nice for them to have one more meal from us," Sister Michelle said. Anything left is donated to Light of Life Mission on the North Side.

The students play a key role in preparations for the dinner. Children in the primary grades make colorful chains out of construction paper to decorate the hall. Older youngsters design and color place mats, and the oldest students put together favors for the guests.

Sixth-grader Sarah Knobeloch, 11, puts a lot of thought into the place mats that she makes. "I love to draw and I want them to enjoy the pictures," she said. Sarah and her mom helped to serve the meal two years ago, something she remembers well. "The faces of the people we served -- they were so happy. It made me feel so good that I was helping out."

It's a lesson well-learned, according to Ms. Yingling. "It also teaches our students to be aware of other people in our community. Students learn compassion, generosity and the joy of helping others."

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