Editor,

Once again, this year’s “North Whidbey Community Harvest,” the free Thanksgiving dinner at the Elks Lodge, was a huge success thanks to the generosity of our community’s businesses, organizations and individuals who donated their time and money to support the event.

In particular, I would like to thank the members of the board of directors and trustees who put forth so much time and effort to manage all of the pieces that came together to make it happen.

In particular, thank you to: Scott Fraser, vice president and executive chef; Dale Sandri, secretary; Theresa Reed, treasurer; K.C. Pohtilla, volunteer coordinator; Roger Anglum; Scott Fisher and T.J. Harmon-Fisher; Jim and Carole Croft; Tina Hassler; Marty Malloy; and Wayne Locke.

Also, there are two individuals who deserve a special thank-you for their part in this year’s event.

Beth Welch, who contacted the many volunteers who helped throughout the day, and Melissa Riker, who was instrumental in tackling the job of fundraising and ensuring our deposits were properly accounted for.

In addition, the Oak Harbor Fire Department was there at the end to, once again, complete the monumental task of cleaning up the facility.

Finally, I would like to thank the Oak Harbor Elks Lodge and its membership for graciously providing their facility for us to have this annual community event.

Once again, thank you to the many volunteers who helped out throughout the day and especially to each business, organization and/or individual who provided the donations and support we needed.

The support provided by each of you is what makes Oak Harbor and Whidbey Island such a wonderful place to live.

Each of the above individuals and their families have earned my heartfelt appreciation for a job well done and for making this year’s event such a success.

William A. “Skip” Pohtilla

President, North Whidbey Community Harvest