An attitude of gratitude

COEUR d'ALENE — The line of people stretched out the door before North Idaho College’s community dinner even began.

Children with rosy cheeks in puffy coats, young moms with babes in arms, elderly grandmothers resting on their walkers, dads with teenage sons at their sides, NIC students and many more stood together Saturday evening in the Edminster Student Union Building, waiting for the free Thanksgiving meal to start.

They may have been from different places and had different reasons for attending — the windstorm knocked out their power, they were homeless, strapped for cash, in search of a comfortable social atmosphere — but, for a moment, they shared space, conversation and a common understanding of the need for a warm meal in a friendly location. They shared the joy of building community where it was meant to be built — at a community college.

"I wish we could do it at Christmas, too, but it’s a start," said NIC's dining services manager Eddie Nelson.

Nelson said he has been dreaming of the college hosting a community-wide event like this for several years, where not just students but the entire community is invited to break bread and enjoy a free meal.

"It’s a pretty important thing," he said. "It’s a huge thing. And since we are a community college, it’s being part of the community. It’s just a good thing to see. The students are the ones that pushed this through. That’s the biggest thing. I’m really proud of them for doing that."

More than 250 people filled their trays with traditional Thanksgiving dishes and all the trimmings — turkey, mashed potatoes, gravy, cranberry sauce, stuffing, desserts and veggies from a fully stocked salad bar. They dined at tables with nature-provided autumnal centerpieces of pine boughs, pinecones and leaves set neatly atop maroon napkins.

The food was provided by the Associated Students of NIC with discounted deals negotiated by Nelson from generous vendors.

About 30 people organized the dinner with at least 12 volunteers on site to serve and accommodate guests, including ASNIC senator and general studies student Jeremiah Brands. This was the second year for NIC to host the free community meal, an idea that came to fruition once Brands spoke to advisers and peers about projects to accomplish while serving his school.

He said he was feeling blessed to be able to provide the meal for those who need it.

"Definitely, the opportunity was provided this year, not that the windstorm was a good thing, but we're able to reach more people," he said. "When the power outage happened, there was a bunch of people in the upper president's cabinet that started having dialogue about, 'Hey, can we extend this to the larger community as well?' So I'm just blessed to be working with all the people here."

NIC's web designer Chris Pfeiffer was also pleased the college could reach beyond its student population to feed the community.

"Getting the people that were affected by power outages and windstorm damage seemed like a natural addition to this," he said. "It's awesome."

Criminal justice student Tim Fluegel, 19, lives in the dorms and was hanging out in the SUB while the meal was served.

"It's great, there's a lot of people who don't have a lot of money," he said. "I love all the cooks here, they cook some great food, and I know they'll have a lot of fun doing this. I know most of them that work here and you could tell they were looking forward to doing this. It's great we're doing this community outreach kind of thing."

Avina Belden, 24, of Coeur d'Alene, was homeless from 2010-14. She spent a lot of time at Fresh Start and even lived in a bus with her husband at one point.

"I was pregnant and lost my food stamps," she said. "It was not easy."

She said events such as NIC's Thanksgiving meal are vital for those who are struggling and need a place to go and feel welcome.

"It means that people can come together as a community and as a family, from different areas of the cities, or from the mountains," she said. "I'm pretty sure once people read the newspaper that it will show that there's people in need. The homeless definitely need help right now, because Fresh Start is moving.

"The homeless are in need of sleeping bags, those round heaters for food and lots of clothes," she said. "This event needs to help bring community and awareness together."