SERVING
IT UP — Tom Tibbitts oversees the food preparation at Equinox 2006. — Photos
courtesy of The Albany Times Union.
Equinox – The Perfect Gift
By DEBORAH A. MILES
As the holiday season is just around the corner, we start getting bombarded with ads to buy the perfect gift. But a lot of people in the Capital Region realize helping those in need may be the most perfect gift of all.
Tom Tibbitts, along with thousands of others who volunteer at the annual Equinox Thanksgiving Day community dinner, is one of many PEF members involved in that event.
Feeding thousands
Each Thanksgiving for the past 22 years, Tibbitts, an associate computer program analyst for the state Division of Criminal Justice Services in Albany, has donated countless hours to making sure more than 7,000 people have a traditional and healthy holiday meal.
As a former professional cook, Tibbitts plays a big role. He oversees the meals for the home delivery part of the Equinox program and manages the food preparation with others for the sit-down dinner at the First Presbyterian Church of Albany.
That entails the supervision of cooking 600 turkeys, 180 gallons of gravy, 2,000 pounds of ham, plus yams, potatoes, stuffing, vegetables, pie and cranberry sauce.
“It’s the whole nine yards, just like at grandma’s house,”
Tibbits said. The work starts in October when letters asking for food donations or cash are sent to local supermarkets, food chains and businesses.
The cooking begins the Sunday before Thanksgiving and continues during the week from 4 p.m. to 11 p.m. at the Empire State Plaza.
“We have about 3,000 volunteers who work in shifts from Sunday through Thanksgiving. Some help prepare the food and others clean up the whole place for the next day. Entire congregations come to help deliver the food. It’s pretty amazing,” Tibbitts said. “My part is to make sure the food is prepared properly according to the county Board of Health.”
Tibbitts keeps coming back because “it’s an eye-opener every year,” plus the camaraderie.
“It’s a lot of fun. People go there because they want to be there. And it’s a matter of wanting to help someone else out,” he said.
“People from all walks of life come together. The program bridges the gap between gender, race, age with a common goal — to give support and compassion to those in need.”
Homeless,
families mingleThe sit-down dinner at the church serves an additional 800 to 1,200 people.
“It’s amazing to see the people there,” Tibbitts said. “You’ll have homeless people leave their shopping cart out front, and they will come in wearing their two or three coats. They may sit down at a table with a family with young kids. The parents often remind their kids how good they have it. These people sharing their table have absolutely nothing. Their kids realize what they have is pretty cool and they learn some values.
“The program is a win-win situation in many ways,” Tibbitts said.
It’s a program named for celestial balance. It’s a time when the vernal and autumnal equinoxes, day and night, are equal. It’s a season when people are equal no matter what they have or don’t have.
If you would like to request a Thanksgiving dinner for someone in the Capital Region (no questions asked), volunteer or donate goods and services, call (518) 434-0131 in early November.