ROANOKE TIMES
Copyright (c) 1996, Roanoke Times
DATE: Friday, November 29, 1996 TAG: 9611290058
SECTION: VIRGINIA PAGE: C1 EDITION: METRO
SOURCE: MAG POFF STAFF WRITER
AT THE ROANOKE RESCUE MISSION, volunteers "gave back a little bit" in appreciation of their own blessings.
The four members of the Miron family spent several hours of their Thanksgiving Day at the Roanoke Rescue Mission helping people who "are not as fortunate as we are."
At nearby Hotel Roanoke, Gail Mitchell postponed her own holiday dinner with her parents while she served the hotel's guests.
They were among countless waiters and waitresses who put off their personal plans in order to care for other people. They celebrated Thanksgiving in other ways than fixing their own feasts at home.
At the Rescue Mission, Lois Bettis said the staff was ready to feed as many homeless people as showed up for afternoon and evening seatings.
Because it was Thanksgiving, the menu for both meals was identical. The men and women who came to the mission ate turkey with dressing and cranberry sauce, corn, beans, mashed yams, rolls and homemade desserts.
The 25 volunteers who served them included the Mirons: Phil and Judy and their children, Brittany, 11, and Jarrod, 10. They live in the Cave Spring area of Roanoke County.
Phil Miron said they went to the mission "to give back a little bit" for the many blessings they enjoy.
Miron, a sales representative for Hillshire Farms , said the family also has been active with St. Jude's and Vanderbilt children's hospitals.
They put off until evening their own dinner, which they shared with a single mother and her three children from their church, First Baptist.
Christine Burnett, a Radford University junior from Wurtsboro, N.Y., was at the mission for the first time on Thanksgiving Day, but she helps out once a week at Daily Bread in Radford.
Burnett said she gives up her time each week "to help other people who don't have the opportunity I do."
Vivian Sinram was joined in serving by her son, Chris, 21, a recent Virginia Tech graduate. She said they went to the mission "because we wanted to. It's just a nice thing to do."
The staff at Hotel Roanoke knew exactly how many it would serve. The hotel had reservations for 400 in the Regency Room and another 400 in a ballroom with hourly seating between 11:30 a.m. and 2:30 p.m.
The diners treated themselves to salad, soup and dessert bars. For the entree, they could choose Shenandoah turkey, roast sirloin, seared salmon or pork tenderloin.
Gail Mitchell, who has worked as a waitress at the hotel since October, said she didn't mind waiting tables on Thanksgiving Day, because "you have to be somewhere."
In fact, she works most holidays. "You meet totally different people," she said, "and the money is good."
She planned her own Thanksgiving with her parents after the Hotel Roanoke dining room had closed.
LENGTH: Medium: 65 lines ILLUSTRATION: PHOTO: 1. Phil Miron and his daughter Brittany, 11 (standing)by CNBshare a prayer with guests of the Roanoke Rescue Mission on
Thursday. color CINDY PINKSTON STAFF
2. CINDY PINKSTON STAFF Gail Mitchell tops off a glass of champagne
for John Beard, his sister, Becky (right) and daughters Catherine
(left) and Jenny (hidden).