One held a carving knife, the other a scouring brush and another a serving spoon.

In their own ways, Michael Nortier, the commanding officer of Whidbey Island Naval Air Station; Ray Merrill, the fire chief of the Oak Harbor Fire Department, and Bill Hawkins, district court judge with Island County, devoted a portion of their Thanksgiving Day holiday to serve the North Whidbey community last week.

None of this is surprising to Skip Pohtilla, who continues to be impressed with how the community works together to pull off the North Whidbey Community Harvest.

At least 350 volunteers helped with last week’s 15th annual event, which provided a free holiday meal to between 2,800 to 3,000 people at the Oak Harbor Elks Lodge.

“You get a broad cross section of the community that not only helps but comes to eat,” said Pohtilla, the event’s president.

Pohtilla is one of 14 organizers who handle particular responsibilities to keep the event running smoothly each year.

Chef Scott Fraser and his staff from Frasers Gourmet Hideaway, for instance, run the kitchen.

However, it takes an army of community volunteers on the holiday to make the event possible, Pohtilla said.

Some, such as Nortier carve ham, while others, such as Merrill, scrub pots and pans. A large group of his firefighters devote time annually to help with the heavy cleaning.

“They’re all over the place,” Pohtilla said.

In total, 152 turkeys were smoked and deep fried and 800 pounds of ham was prepared.

“We didn’t run out of food,” Pohtilla said.

Along with support from organizations and businesses, the event also got enough donations during the event to cover costs this year, Pohtilla said.

“It went really well,” Pohtilla said. “There were plenty of volunteers. You can’t put on this event without the generosity of the community.”