Our Story
No one need dine alone on Thanksgiving.
It started with
neighbors.
In 1968, Addie Spicher and Pauline Johnson helped start a Thanksgiving dinner at East Topeka United Methodist Church. The invitation grew beyond the church, becoming a tradition that Topekans have carried forward for generations.
After Addie’s death in 1974, Pauline continued the dinner. Volunteers found larger spaces as the gathering grew, with meals held over the years at the fairgrounds, the National Guard Armory, the Municipal Auditorium, and Agricultural Hall.
In 2008, the Kansas Senate honored Pauline for forty years of service to the dinner and the people of Topeka.
Read the Senate tribute to Pauline (PDF) ↗A dinner that
kept growing.
In a 2021 interview, Pauline and her son Myron recalled the people who built the dinner together, and how a small gathering grew to serve thousands of meals.
Myron described another milestone: incorporation in 2005, giving the volunteer effort a formal foundation.
Watch Pauline and Myron on KTWU’s Inspire ↗
Keeping the
meal going.
The pandemic changed how neighbors could gather. In 2021, the dinner was organized around home deliveries instead of a shared meal at Agricultural Hall.
Today, the invitation brings people together at Stormont Vail Events Center, with delivery arrangements for neighbors who cannot attend. Preparing the food, serving a plate, or helping clear the hall still takes people willing to give their time.
Read United Way’s 2021 volunteer announcement ↗
The invitation
is still open.
A free Thanksgiving dinner for the Topeka community. Everyone is welcome.