'This day, for me, lasts the whole year'

Knights of Columbus volunteers rise early and work long hours to help others enjoy the holiday

Michael Kearney has started his Thanksgiving Day at 4 a.m. for the past 15 years. He is certainly not the only one.

As master chefs across the country begin preparing the meals they've been dreaming up since Halloween, Kearney and hundreds of volunteers from the Edward Douglass White Council of the Knights of Columbus will be preparing for one of Northern Virginia's largest Thanksgiving events.

Traditionally, the day includes more than 75 turkeys, gravy, mashed potatoes, peas, corn and enough bread that people sometimes take leftovers. And don't forget the "pie ladies," Kearney said.

"It's our biggest charity event of the year, and it's important to me," said Kearney, who has been a member of the organization since 1992. "I don't have any problem sacrificing my Thanksgiving. We have a great time."

Since 1984, the EDW Council, based in Arlington County, has been giving away Thanksgiving meals to anyone who requests one. This year, Kearney, whose father was also a Knight, said the council plans to give away more than 1,500 meals.

Volunteers will deliver about 1,100 of them to homes, shelters and residences for the elderly and disabled. The remaining recipients will be served at the Knights hall at 5115 Little Falls Rd. in Arlington.

Despite the occasional bump in the road, such as when the group ran out of turkey and replaced it with hastily cooked hams, Kearney said, the day usually runs smoothly. Volunteers in an assembly line scoop potatoes, place greens and arrange helpings of turkey on diners' plates.

Some deliver the food or pick up diners at designated corners throughout the county. They laugh, joke and share experiences, much like any other group gathering for the holiday.

Volunteers are divided into several shifts with some, such as Thom Galvin, who chairs the event for the Knights, beginning work at 4 a.m. and leaving about 6 p.m.

"This day, for me, lasts the whole year," Galvin said. "It's one of those days; just giving to other people, it makes you feel good."

Others volunteers, including Kearney and his wife and two children, work the morning shift and then go home to enjoy their family meal.

Kearney said he doesn't mind waiting with his family to eat, usually about 3 p.m. Volunteering and giving to others makes the food taste that much better, he said, adding, "It's fun, and it's rewarding."

Dinner is served at the Knights facility about 3 p.m. Volunteers set the tables and diners, some dressed in their Sunday best, gather to eat. Often police officers and firefighters take a break from working to sit down and enjoy the upbeat atmosphere.

The Knights of Columbus volunteers and friends raise more than $5,000 to make the Thanksgiving event happen. This year, as the recession takes its toll, they, like other charities, are preparing for an influx of people.

Kearney said they're ready.

"We have been helping people the whole way through," he said. "This is a tough year for everybody, and we're happy to do a little something."