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By Laura Drinan
Hometown Weekly Reporter
Every month, members of the Dover Council on Aging enjoy an afternoon feast fit for a king. A different church in town hosts the monthly meal, dubbed the “Moveable Feast,” for any of Dover’s seniors to attend.
January’s “Moveable Feast” welcomed over a dozen seniors to the Most Precious Blood Church, where tables were adorned with royal blue tablecloths and flower arrangements bursting with color. At the front of the room, a table filled with plates of ham, green beans, fresh rolls, fruit, and desserts satiated the appetites of the hungry seniors.
“The seniors, no matter what parish they belong to, can come, and we usually have a hot lunch. It’s like the lunches that they have at the Council on Aging, but they get to rotate around,” explained Annemarie Thompson, a parishioner of Most Precious Blood, who organized the feast. “It’s nice. It’s really nice.”
The idea of a monthly feast first began years ago at Dover’s Grace Church, which frequently hosted the seniors for a luncheon.
“The other churches in town heard about it and thought, ‘We should all take a turn!’ so each church does it about twice a year,” continued Annemarie, who guesses she has been involved in the “Moveable Feast” for almost five years.
The Most Precious Blood Church usually takes on the January luncheon, but in previous years, the winter weather has deterred many from joining the first feast of the year.
“It’s usually too cold and no one comes out except a small group. It just depends on the month; in May, we get a lot more,” Annemarie admitted. “But this is a pretty good crowd for a cold day, so I’m very happy.”
The seniors were undoubtedly happy to be in attendance, as the room was filled with chatter and laughter as they finished their meals. They didn’t seem to mind, either, that the feast wasn’t as well attended as the ones in the warmer months, as it only meant they could make room in their stomachs for seconds.
“We all look forward to it,” one participant said. “It’s great for getting together and just talking and reminiscing about the old days.”
