By Ryan Applegate
People’s Defender
In a year when many Adams County families have been carrying more worry than joy into the holidays, a simple idea between cousins turned into a day of hot meals, full plates, and full hearts. On Friday, November 21 a group of volunteers led by local contractor Rob Bentley cooked and delivered free Thanksgiving dinners for more than 35 families, serving an estimated 168 people across the county.
It started quietly. Bentley and his cousin Corey had talked about using Corey’s new turkey cooker to prepare a few meals for families who might not otherwise have a Thanksgiving dinner. They began with what they had, a few turkeys from their freezers and a few supplies from home. At first, they aimed to help five families. Then twelve. It felt simple, personal, and manageable.
But small acts grow quickly when they carry warmth and good intentions. After Bentley shared the idea on social media, things took off. Word spread, and community members began offering money, food, time, ovens, space, and hands. Before long, the list of helpers was longer than Bentley ever expected.
“Literally every business owner I know in Adams County started reaching out to me,” Bentley said. “They wanted to donate food, money, whatever we needed. It just blew me away.”
Among the first to step forward were Cassandra and Corey Tolle, donors from Flow Through Drain, Ryan and Michelle at McCormick Tire, Rob and Daylene Bentley with Bentley Contracting, Wes Bentley, Dave Francis, Dave and Dinah Davis and their family, including Craig Davis who spent the entire day on site, and Dee Dryden with Bottoms Up. As word continued to spread, more support came from Michael Morrison, Hunter McCormick and Kenzie Morrison, Frisch’s, Barry’s Chevrolet, Tony Staggs’ State Farm, Yoder Trucking, Chris Moore, Holsinger’s Monument, David Hughes, Amara Seaman, First State Bank, National Bank of Adams County, and Rodney Kersey with RHK.
Kersey became one of the most involved volunteers, working side by side with Bentley in the days before the event. Bentley said, “Rodney has done his part. He has been such a help. We have been working our butt off the last four or five days to make this happen, and we have done it.”
More support kept pouring in from Matt and Bethany Gray at Gray Logging, Derek and Susie Wagner, Tim and Jay Burns, Max Builds, Nichole Downs, Doggy Doodoo, White Brothers, Maniac Mustangs, Chuckie Hayslip, Kelly Cooper Family, Pro Mechanical, Kelly and Rhonda Jones, Paula Shelton, and Mike and Michelle Johnson. Help also came from Bikers for Christ, Cindy and Troy Fields at Plaid and Pearl Boutique, Greg Scott at The River Barn in Manchester, Sammy’s Pizza in Manchester, Kimmy Rogers, Michelle and Lonnie Bilyeu, American Legion Ladies Auxiliary of Manchester, Lori Rideout, Connie and Troy Bilyue Family Racing, Sandy and Skinny Grooms, Jeremy Young Concrete, and the Austin Setty family.
Bentley sent a special thanks to the Adams County Fair Board for use of the facilites for preparing the meals.
What surprised Bentley most was not the amount of money, but the sincerity behind it. Many of the people giving were not wealthy. Some were struggling themselves. Yet they still wanted to help. Bentley said it made him proud of Adams County, not because of what people had, but because of what they were willing to share.
More than four thousand dollars were raised. They purchased around 35 turkeys, 20 hams, vegetables, potatoes, rolls, pies, trays, boxes, gloves, and all the supplies needed to prepare full Thanksgiving meals.
Cooking began at 8 a.m. in the morning at the Adams County fairgrounds. Volunteers seasoned turkeys, basted hams, packed containers, loaded vehicles, and traveled across country roads making doorstep deliveries in Manchester, West Union, Peebles, Seaman, Blue Creek, and beyond. Some cooked from morning to evening. Others carefully labeled boxes, sorted deliveries, and made sure every family received a complete meal.
Throughout the days leading up to the dinner preparation, Bentley kept hearing stories. One man said his electric bill had been so high during the cold snap that both of his next paychecks would go toward keeping the power on, leaving nothing for food. Bentley said he told him, “We got you man.” That, he said, is exactly what this project was meant to do.
It was never just about food. It was about lifting spirits in a community that has felt the strain of a difficult year. It was about kindness, connection, and neighbors helping neighbors without expecting anything in return. It was about letting people know they were not forgotten. Many volunteers said it was the most meaningful day they had been part of in a long time.
At the end of the day, Bentley stepped back and looked around at the group that had made it all possible. The roasters were cooling, tables were being wiped down, and the air still smelled like warm turkey and ham. Children helped stack chairs. Families shared hugs, not handshakes.
“We pulled it off,” Bentley said. “I did not know if we could do it or not, but we did. We fed 168 people today.”
He said it made him proud not just of his family, but of his county.
“Adams County,” he said, “is a rock and roll place to live. These are good people. There is nothing we cannot do when we all come together.”
Plans are already taking shape for Christmas, with leftover funds and more support expected. Whether it becomes a dinner, a toy drive, or something even bigger, one thing is certain. What began with one turkey cooker and a simple idea is becoming a tradition built on generosity and heart.
And in Bentley’s own words, “Everybody, rock and roll. I hope we made some people’s lives a little easier today.”