The opportunity simply to give to those in need is reason to be thankful, according to the more than a dozen volunteers who spent Thanksgiving Day serving at the Natchez Stewpot.

&uot;I had the day off so I thought it would be a good way to spend Thanksgiving. It makes me feel good,&uot; Tim Van Cleave said.

Van Cleave, who works as a park ranger at Melrose Plantation, said that since he couldn’t travel to his native Indiana to be with his family on the holiday, the idea of spending it in the service of others came to mind.

&uot;I called around to find out where I was needed and what I could do to help out. A co-worker told me that this was the place to come,&uot; he said.

Volunteers worked in an assembly line fashion, preparing a Thanksgiving meal consisting of turkey, gravy and dressing, green beans and candied yams and handing it out to a steady stream of needy families and individuals that came into the Stewpot from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m.

Lindsey Timm, a sophomore from the University of Mississippi, said she originally got involved with the Stewpot to fulfill her Honors College community service requirements, but discovered that the experience earned her more than just college credits.

&uot;I had to do 10 community service credits. I am over my credits now, but I came here today anyway. I like the faces. It helps me to put things in perspective to help people and make them happy,&uot; she said.

Another volunteer said working at the Stewpot made her late for Thanksgiving diner with her family, but they understood.

&uot;I came here out of the kindness of my heart. I live right down the street. I won’t

be able to eat with my family until around 2:30. It’s OK; they will wait on me,&uot; Jacqueline Champ said.

Other volunteers brought family members with them to share in the experience of giving to others who may not have much on a holiday that is noted for great bounty.

Joni Levite brought her 8-year-old son, Jake to help her at the Stewpot.

&uot;We had a family Thanksgiving a week prior to this so we could do this,&uot; she said.

&uot;You have to give and you have to be thankful for what we have,&uot; Levite said.

It was Jake’s second Thanksgiving at the Stewpot, and he said this year was going better than last year for him.

&uot;It’s fun for me, except last year I had an asthma attack and had to leave early. I like helping the poor and giving them what they need and living in God’s faith,&uot; he said.

Another mother, Becky Craig, also came with her son, Scott Adams, who is a junior at the University of Mississippi.

&uot;I couldn’t make it to see my mother in Shreveport, so I wanted to give my time and help where I was needed,&uot; she said.

Not all volunteers were serving in the kitchen on Thanksgiving. Others, like Shirley Wheatley, were taking meals to shut-ins who were unable to come to the Stewpot.

Wheatley said there were seven routes with about 245 meals to be delivered Thanksgiving, but volunteers have to always make sure that shut-ins are provided for, holiday or not.

&uot;For many shut-ins, a day is a day. This is a blessed day, but we have to always meet needs for them no matter what day it is,&uot; she said.

The flow from the street into the Stewpot remained a constant, but did pause shortly when Robert Clayton entered and was asked by volunteer Nathaniel Chiles to bless the meal.

Clayton said he eats often at the Stewpot and always makes a point to say a blessing.

&uot;I always have to say the blessing. We have to give thanks to the Lord. The Lord will take care of everything. When you are down, He will pick you up,&uot; he said.

Charles Robinson said he was thankful for the Stewpot because he no longer had a family to eat Thanksgiving dinner with.

&uot;I will be 67 next week. I was born and raised here in Natchez, but now I live alone. Everyone is gone Š dead. It’s good to have a place to go on Thanksgiving,&uot; he said.

Johnnie Davis, who has run the Stewpot kitchen for 14 years, said she would be going to eat with a friend after the Stewpot meal was finished and everything was cleaned and put away. Since the last of her three children left for college this year, working at the Stewpot has taken on additional meaning, she said.

&uot;Since my three kids left, I don’t really have anyone to cook for at home for Thanksgiving, but up here I do,&uot; she said.