Thanksgiving is, at its heart, about gathering with others.
“It’s not about the food,” Jenny Sousa, a member of the Orford Congregational Church, said. “It’s about being with people, whether you know them or not.”
Some people, however, may be facing the holiday with just their family unit or alone for various reasons. Maybe their family is away or they are estranged from them. Maybe their travel plans fell through or they ran out of time to organize a meal.
Whatever the reason, those who are looking to share a free meal with others in the Upper Valley on Thanksgiving Day have a few options to choose from, including in Claremont, Orford, South Royalton and Windsor.
The meals are open to anyone, regardless of town of residence, age or income level. Volunteers and donations are welcome for each meal (see details below). Claremont, Orford and Windsor will all have activities for children.
“Now more than ever, hosting a community Thanksgiving meal feels deeply important —not just because of the rising cost of groceries, but because so many of us are seeking connection,” Melissa Arnesen-Trunzo, who is co-organizing a potluck-style Friendsgiving meal at the Orford Congregational Church along with Sousa. “As a single mom, I know firsthand how costly it can be to provide a special holiday meal for your child.”
The gathering will take place at the Orford Congregational Church. People can bring a dish to share if they are able, but no one is obligated to bring anything to partake in the meal. People are not required to sign up ahead of time.
“It’s really about community coming together,” Sousa said. She, her husband and their two children — sporting matching turkey shirts — will be there to volunteer and eat with the community. Their other family members either live out of state or won’t be around for Thanksgiving, but they still wanted to gather with others.
The Windsor meal is new this year. Last year, a community member mentioned to Karen Rich-Smith, the office administrator at Old South Church, that the town does not have a Thanksgiving Day sit-down meal.
“It was just sad,” Rich-Smith, a retired nurse, said.
At the time, it was too late for Rich-Smith to act on the idea, but this year she decided to pull together a free, Thanksgiving Day meal.
“I was the instigator of trouble,” she said with a laugh. “Here we are trying to figure out if I can do this, but it will be fun.”
As a trial run, the church hosted a free roast pork dinner with stuffing last month. Volunteers served 43 roast pork meals and learned that, while preparing a larger meal using the small kitchen wouldn’t quite work, the church’s dishwasher is definitely up to the task.
Instead of relying on the small kitchen, the Thanksgiving meal volunteers will cook turkeys at home and bring them to the church. Some side dishes — including Rich-Smith’s stuffing — will be prepared the day before and heated up at the church. There will also be gluten-free, vegetarian and vegan dishes available.
Even though the roast pork meal was free, people donated $200 and Rich-Smith is hoping that’ll cover the cost of the Thanksgiving Day dinner.
The church is planning to make enough food to feed 75 to 100 people, “which is hard to even think about, but we’ll make it work,” Rich-Smith said. “If nobody comes we’ll have lots of really great leftovers.”
While delivery will not be available, those who want to attend but lack transportation can reach out to the church. Volunteers will do their best to arrange rides. People who attend the meal are not required to sign up ahead of time, which is something Rich-Smith feels strongly about.
“I didn’t want to do that because I didn’t want people to say, ‘I didn’t say I was coming so I guess I can’t go’,” said Rich-Smith, whose family members, including her two daughters, plan on volunteering at the dinner alongside her.
That’s a sentiment shared by Robin Wittemann, one of the lead organizers of the annual Community Harvest Meal on Thanksgiving Day at Trinity Church in Claremont.
“Absolutely not,” Wittemann said when asked if people needed to sign up ahead of time. “Our doors are open. It’s a community event. No reservations. Just show up.”
Wittemann helped start the meal three years ago because the Claremont Soup Kitchen is closed on Thanksgiving Day.
“(There’s) a lot of folks here in town who have no place to go on Thanksgiving,” said Wittemann, founder of Baby Steps Family Assistance, a Claremont-based nonprofit organization that supports area families, including those with young children. “The food is important, the meal is important, but it’s that gathering that’s most important. Companionship. Laughter.”
They’ve served around 125 people each of the past two years.
“We’ve had some great memories at those tables at the church,” Wittemann said.
The Claremont Soup Kitchen cooks turkeys ahead of time and drops them off. Willing Hands, a Norwich-based nonprofit organization, provides vegetables, among other fresh food.
This year, the meal will include a hot-and-cold turkey bar where “you can make your own turkey sandwich,” Wittemann said. Cold vegetables will be spread out on various charcuterie boards. Turkey, gravy and mashed potatoes will also be on offer.
The reason the meal is called a “harvest meal” and not Thanksgiving dinner is because it primarily relies on food that’s in season locally.
“There will be lots of apple crisp of course,” Wittemann said.
Meal details; how to help
Claremont: 1 to 3 p.m., Trinity Church, 120 Broad St. Witteman is planning on creating a registry with volunteer and food requests, then posting it to facebook.com/babystepsfamilyassistance.
Orford: 12:30 to 5 p.m., Orford Congregational Church, 617 Route 10 (Main Street). Email Arnesen-Trunzo at groundedinsound1@gmail.com or Sousa at jjsousamasonry@gmail.com if you want to volunteer or have questions about the gathering.
South Royalton: 11:30 a.m. to 1:30 p.m., Chase Community Center, 164 Chelsea St. Delivery is also available. People are required to RSVP at communitythanksgiving@vermontlaw.edu or 802-831-1238 for both delivery and the in-person gathering. Volunteers and food donations (including pies) are also welcome. More information can be found at vermontlaw.edu/event/2025-community-thanksgiving-dinner.
Windsor: 2 to 4 p.m., Old South Church, 146 Main St. People interested in donating money, food or volunteering can email the church at oldsouthchurchwindsor@gmail.com.