Not every Thanksgiving feast needs a turkey.

The first-ever Thanksgiving Feast at South Whidbey Elementary School was prepared to feed 1,000 eager stomachs on Tuesday morning, and though the menu didn’t include holiday bird, those who attended enjoyed the nourishing food nonetheless.

The food on the menu, grown by students at the South Whidbey School Farm and Gardens, included pumpkin pie, mashed potatoes, roasted squash, carrots, and kale salad.

Over 450 pounds of food were prepared and cooked for what will likely become an annual event, said Cary Peterson, coordinator of the school farm and garden.

The event was made possible by a collaboration between the school’s farm and garden program, Whidbey Island Nourishes (WIN), and Jude Bierman, who coordinated the school activities.

“The students grew this and now they’re eating it,” Peterson said. “It’s going to be part of a whole fall curriculum preparing for this feast. Plus, they made all the signs, they decorated all the tables, they participated in everything, even in cooking.”

Peterson said there were 190 pounds of carrots, 200 pounds of potatoes, 38 pounds of delicata squash, and around 80 pounds of pumpkins prepared for the feast.

Fifth-grade students stood at tables around the elementary school’s cafeteria and served the food. 

“I like giving people food,” said student Cash Hajny. “It’s just fun.”

The fifth graders also helped set up the tables, placed table cloths, and decorated the room with flower arrangements.

Three classes of kindergartners were the first to tackle the food. The pumpkin pie was a big hit early on in the feast.

“I like the pie,” said Ella, a kindergartner. “It looks really good.”

Peterson said it was a busy week preparing for the event. It was the collaborative effort between not only WIN, Bierman, and the farm and garden, but also the enthusiasm by the students that made Peterson excited.

She said all of the upper grade students helped cook the food, while fourth graders also helped make signs.

“We’re figuring out how everybody can participate in something real and meaningful that’s nourishing everybody,” Peterson said. “It’s magnificent. It takes a meal that you are not connected with to a meal you are totally connected with and have participated in and you can say to your parent, ‘I picked that potato. I planted that carrot, I planted that squash, I harvested that pumpkin.’ That’s real.”

Peterson said Bierman was the mastermind of the operation, working with the teachers to organize the event.