Local Chef Volunteers To Cook For Teams of Volunteer Cooks
By Martha Slater

Doug Tucker loves to cook. He’s good at it and it’s what he does for a living, as a chef at Patrick’s Restaurant on Main St. in Randolph.

Recently, at the request of his friend, Raymond Pecor, he used his culinary expertise to organize a first-ever, unique event, an Appreciation Luncheon held Saturday, Jan. 26 at Sacred Heart Church in Lebanon, N.H. to honor volunteers in a community dinner program run for the past 24 years by Listen Community Services of Lebanon, N.H.

More than 40 volunteer community dinner cook teams regularly give their time to cook and serve at community dinners offered to about 50 guests per evening, five nights a week. The teams come from a number of area businesses and churches, and some are simple groups of friends volunteering together.

The dinners are offered in four locations, including churches and senior centers, at no cost to those who attend. They are available to everyone, but those served are mostly seniors and low-income families with children. Organization staffers note that when a struggling household takes full advantage of Listen’s community dinner program, it’s easier to meet heating, rent or other household expenses, and elderly guests remain successfully independent for a longer period.

Turning the tables, a number of those who are regular community dinner guests assisted Tucker at the appreciation luncheon by volunteering their time to greet, serve, set-up and break down the hall.

"We wanted to do something more personal to show our appreciation to the cook team volunteers," explains Pecor, who is the organization’s food program coordinator. "This was a wonderful event and we could not have done it without the contribution of time, effort and creativity of Doug Tucker. Everyone was raving about the food! Not only is he a fabulous chef, but he is a wonderful person. We are truly grateful to him."

As for Tucker, although the prep work and cooking took three whole days (he can quote an impressive array of statistics for the amount of food prepared, (including 11 and a half gallons of turkey stew!), he says he enjoyed the experience and hopes to do it again next year. Meanwhile, he’s also hoping to start his own cook team to volunteer once a month.

In addition to the labor of all the volunteers, all the food served was also donated.

"Patrick allowed me to use the kitchen here and donated food, as did James Gordon of Upper Valley Produce in West Lebanon," Tucker notes. Other donations came from the Sacred Heart Church, also in West Lebanon, and from U.S. Foodservice. In addition to the New England style turkey stew, the menu included biscuits, a salad with maple balsamic vinaigrette dressing (two gallons of it!) and a white cake with cream cheese frosting.

Incorporated in the winter of 1972 as Lebanon In Service To Each Neighbor (LISTEN), the organization recently changed its name to Listen Community Services. This grassroots non-profit has grown along with the region. In addition to the community dinners, it runs a food shelf program, provides summer camp scholarships and "Heating Helpers," to meet emerging needs, and recently added Fairlee, West Fairlee, Bethel, Royalton, and Woodstock to its service area.

For more information about the community dinner program, call Listen Community Services at 603-448-4553, or write to them at 60 Hanover St., Lebanon, N.H. 03766.

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