BANGOR, Maine — For her birthday, rather than eat cake and blow out candles, Rikki White decided to eat pie and organize a community Thanksgiving feast.
White and her husband live far from both their families and rather than make travel plans, they opted to stay local and invite the Bangor community to share company and food.
"My birthday is on Friday and our family is away this week, so we thought it would be a really good thing to give back to our community," White said.
With only two weeks to plan and execute, White was grateful for the help she received and wants all to come if they want.
"Anybody that feels like they are alone today, or they want some company, they can come and have dinner with us, or you know, reach out and have it delivered," she said.
Helping out was David Dunbar, founder of Penobscot County Cares. He feels it is important to lend a hand everyday and was happy to on Thursday.
"Any of us could be in a situation where we need a meal, we need community, we need housing," Dunbar said, emphasizing that many are in need.
Guests entering the Unitarian Universalist Church in Bangor were greeted by the smells of freshly cut ham, steaming turkey, warm rolls, and fluffy mashed potatoes.
Frank Bennett came with two friends and said, "it’s good, it's really good," between forkfuls of food. Usually, Bennett may stay in for the holiday but enjoyed being amongst neighbors and friends.
"We decided instead of cooking a big meal, we would come out and see what is going on in the world," Bennett said.
Bringing people together and sharing food was exactly what White had wished for.
"I love seeing the community come together. I feel like when you come together as a team, you can get so much done," White said.