SKOWHEGAN — A free Thanksgiving dinner will be served Thursday — Thanksgiving Day — from 11 a.m. to 1 p.m. at the Skowhegan Community Center, off West Front Street.

“This is the first time we are doing a community Thanksgiving dinner,” said Skowhegan Parks and Recreation Director Denise LeBlanc. “It’s for anybody, not just for low income or larger families.”

By Friday, more than 60 people had signed up for the dinner. The deadline to register for the meal is 8 p.m. Monday.

It’s not just a free meal. It is also a time for community sharing, LeBlanc said.

“It’s a day of community getting together; community warmth and sharing,” LeBlanc said. “It’s a day we can share and respect each other, supporting each other and a day of thanks.”

LeBlanc said staff assistant Heather Goodridge came up with the idea for a big community dinner for Thanksgiving and began organizing the donations from local individuals, businesses, groups and farms for fresh produce.

“We probably have 400 pounds of turkey,” she said Friday. “Once we sent out fliers that we were doing this, we got tremendous support for it. We went to the store today and just bought the necessary groceries and it was $600, not including the turkeys.”

To sign up for the dinner, to volunteer or for more information call LeBlanc or Goodridge at 474-6901.

Doug Harlow — 612-2367

dharlow@centralmaine.com

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