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Crime & Safety

For Service Men and Women, a Thanksgiving Feast on the Mayflower

For the 12th year, police, fire, emergency medics, and hospital staff gathered to enjoy a warm holiday meal hosted by Four Seasons Hotel staff and volunteers.

Greeted by a giant costume turkey, police, fire, emergency medics, and hospital staff gathered to celebrate Thanksgiving at the Mayflower, a festive 53-foot trailer set up by the Four Seasons Hotel.

"I've always been grateful for people taking time away from their families on this day to serve us," said Officer Jerome Stoudamire, who arrived carrying bouquets of red roses for hotel staff and volunteers. "This year's a special one for me, because it'll probably be my last one." A member of the S.W.A.T. team, Officer Stoudamire has worked in D.C. for almost 25 years, and has been coming to the annual holiday feast since it started 12 years ago. 

"The fact that they are always serving us, and this one day we can serve them makes me happy," said volunteer Ellie Clarc, whose dad is the General Manager at the hotel.

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By the end of this Thanksgiving holiday, Executive Chef Douglas Anderson and his team will have prepared over 300 pounds of turkey, 200 pounds of stuffing,and 15 gallons of cranberries for the annual feast.

"We know what to expect, and have been busy preparing this week," said Anderson, a seasoned chef with 26 years of experience. "But a lot of the prep work comes in at the last minute. Our first sous chef got here at about 4:45 this morning to start prepping, and I arrived shortly after that."

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Cooking for 300 is no easy task, but the Four Seasons staff handled it well. All who attended the feast left with full stomachs and big smiles.  

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