T-L Photos/KIM NORTH STUDENTS, TEACHERS and others go through the line to receive their Thanksgiving Feast at Bellaire Elementary School on Tuesday.

NEFFS — “Angels among us.”

That was Dorothy Vannest’s thoughts late Tuesday afternoon as everything was coming together for a wonderful Thanksgiving Feast at Bellaire Elementary School. Vannest is a retired school teacher and After Hours Academy site coordinator at the school.

AHA is funded by the 21st Century grant.

“There are so many people to thank for this being possible,” Vannest added. “The Ohio River Valley Elks. The Tollivers of New Beginnings Church in Bellaire. The Elks wrote a grant for $1,500 that paid for two books for each student involved in AHA. They also wrote another grant to pay for the turkeys. The Tollivers donated all kinds of turkeys, vegetables, bread, mashed potatoes, stuffing, all the center pieces on the tables … . The teachers and staff here at the school have donated their time to help out with the serving and anything else that needed done.

“These people are our angels.”

This was the program’s first Thanksgiving Feast. Last year it held a Christmas Feast.

“This is the largest of the three that we do,” she said. Bridgeport AHA held its dinner Wednesday, while Martins Ferry AHA has its scheduled for tonight.

Students involved in AHA, which total about 50, started preparing the meal Monday night by peeling potatoes, making stuffing, cleaning the turkeys and wrapping silverware. She said they planned for about 130 guests.

“We did five turkeys tonight. I don’t know how many pounds of potatoes we peeled and mashed?” she noted. “The kids learned so much.”

Jim Nicholson of the Ohio River Valley Elks Association said his group is happy to help out in any way.

“The Elks have a grant that they receive from our national foundation so the teachers have selected books for all of the kids and books for their library,” he explained. “We also helped with dinner.”

This isn’t the first time the Elks have helped out.

“Just this week we had seven or eight organizations that received big checks,” he said of groups like the Salvation Army and the various food kitchens. “This one today, though, is for the kids.”

“We start with the amazing God and because of that you’re able to see people in their hearts and look for ways to help people in any ways shape or form that you can with all of the tragedies and heartaches that we have in this life,” Bishop Michael Tolliver expressed. “Any time you can spread a lot of love and sunshine and forgiveness, it’s amazing.”

“We appreciate all they do for the students. We thought we wanted to be a part of that,” Pastor Patricia Tolliver said. “It’s amazing how these volunteers take a mess and make something out of it. It truly is.”