Behind the Scenes at Esperanza's Thanksgiving Dinner - The Relay

A big thank you to everyone who made the Thanksgiving Dinner for our Esperanza girls and family such a special one! In spite of a few glitches, dinner for 90 was served and enjoyed on Tuesday, November 23 at Esperanza.

On Monday, the bountiful selection of food donations was delivered to Esperanza from our Andover Animal Hospital collection point.

Tuesday morning, Ana prepped and seasoned the turkeys and placed them in the oven.
The warm and delicious aromas of turkey with apple and sausage stuffing wafted in the air throughout the school bringing students and teachers to the kitchen. Many said they couldn't wait for dinner or said, "Umm, that smells so g-o-o-d! Lana Schofield arrived with her delicious home made gravy in hand to prepare the stuffing, carve the birds, and act as Executive Chef in the process.

Diane Tower and Kathy Moramarco looked forward to making the side dishes along with Meg Rokos, but were sidelined by a seasonal "bug"-Margaret Hamilton put out a clandestine text distress call from the site of a previous commitment, and Meg recruited her unsuspecting husband, working at home that day.

In the early afternoon, Meg Rokos accompanied by the drafted Paul, arrived, peelers in hand. Paul and Meg peeled and chopped 80 pounds of potatoes, and can explain to anyone interested, the pros and cons of a Maine vs. an Idaho potato. Unfortunately, Paul did not go unscathed and will now have a battle scar to show for his pinch hitting! Lori Bottiger opened the First Aid Kit, provided bandages, and ultimately he didn't require stitches. The peeling and cooking forged on in spite of this minor setback.

Next to arrive on the scene were Susan Wilson's beautiful daughters, Audrey and Marie-just home from school-- and Marie's friend, Geoffrey. They took the baton from Meg and Paul and did an awesome job of whipping the potatoes, which came out light, fluffy, and delicious.

Audrey, Marie and Geoffrey helped prep, cook, stir and clean and we hoped they enjoyed Lana's company as much as she enjoyed theirs.

Next came Jr., Isabel, Janet, Fauny and Waleska. Together an assembly line was formed and before we knew it almost 90 hot dinners were served. Ana returned to make sure everything went well (And to see if her kitchen was still in one piece!)

The students also dined on pecan, apple and pumpkin pie topped off with whipped cream.

A warm and very loud and exuberant thank you, led by Laurie, was extended by our Esperanza students to all of you for donating, cooking and making their Thanksgiving dinner a special one.

A special thank you to Lana Schofield who headed up the preparation of this wonderful dinner and to Diane Tower who battled a very bad cold to deliver all the items to the school. The following members donated the food:

Sue Wilson
Paula Colby-Clements
Martha Lindsay
Gretchen Papineau
Meg Rokos
Kathleen Chan
Anne French
Martha Lindsay
Diane Tower
Margaret Hamilton
Merit Tukiainen
Leislie Godo-Solo
Kathy Moramarco
Monique Johnson
Mary O'Hare
Kathy Moramarco
Lana Schofield