For more than 30 years, the Hoodland Community Thanksgiving Dinner
offered a place for Mountain residents to come together, enjoy a meal and
celebrate together. The coronavirus pandemic led to the event being canceled
in 2020 and 2021, but now the committee behind the dinner has decided that
it will not return at all.

Mark Grove, committee chair, noted that as word has trickled out, he’s heard
from the people in the community that it will be missed.
“They’re saddened by it, everyone liked the event (but) they understand
why,” he said.

Grove, who worked on the event for 15 years in different capacities, noted
that the event began as a way to provide a meal for people who couldn’t
afford it, but it turned into something for people whose children had grown up
and they didn’t have anyone to celebrate with.

“It provided a meal and community with their neighbors; a place to go and
visit and have some good food,” he said.

Preparation for the dinner would begin a month in advance, with donations of
food and money needing to be lined up. In the days right before the event,
shopping, decorating and picking up food would be done, with a service held
the night before. Once that was over, chairs were put away and the chopping
and dicing would commence, with approximately 40 volunteers helping with
the various tasks.

“Everyone went to work, and worked late into the night,” Grove said.
Cooking would begin as early as 4 a.m. on Thanksgiving, with the first meals
heading out for the Meals on Wheels program.

Grove noted that a typical Thanksgiving might include 27 turkeys or more,
served with 100 pounds of potatoes, five gallons of gravy and so much more,
for approximately 300 attendees and 50 Meals on Wheels meals.

In an email to The Mountain Times, Grove noted that many factors
contributed to the decision, including COVID-19, while thanking those in the
community who helped make it happen every year.

“Camp Arrah Wanna graciously provided their lodge and kitchen for the dinner
most of the past 30 plus years,” Grove wrote. “Food donations were collected
from local businesses including Hoodland Thriftway, The Resort on The
Mountain (Mt. Hood Oregon Resort), US Meats, Mt. Hood Foods, ZigZag Inn,
Sandy Action Center, Mt. Hood Roasters Coffee Company, Barlow Trail
Roadhouse, Mt. Hood Lions and many more. Monetary donations were
collected through The Church on the Mountain, these included local entities
like The Hoodland Women's Club, Merit Real Estate, Clackamas County Bank,
Dr. Grise at Hoodland Adventist, Welches Mountain Building Supply, Hoodland
Fire District and scores of individual donors.”

“The committee is sad to make this decision, but proud of the 30 plus years
the event has been happening on the mountain,” he added. “It wouldn't have
been possible without the abundant and continuous support provided by local
businesses and volunteers. At the end of each event, any excess funds were
distributed to local charities that served the mountain community.

“A huge thank you from the committee to all of the wonderful people that
supported this event.”