FORT FAIRFIELD – Just a few minutes before 11:30 a.m. Thursday, Kerby Doughty tossed his head back to escape a cloud of steam rising from the vat of freshly baked squash on the table in front of him and glanced out into the dining room.

He opened a block of butter, stirred the peas behind him and moved aside some fresh rolls on a countertop before checking out the dining room once again.

Doughty and his friends were expecting company for Thanksgiving dinner – lots of company.

But the guests were not relatives flocking to a private home. Instead, the Fort Fairfield resident and dozens of other volunteers from local businesses and civic organizations spent the bulk of their holiday inside the Fort Fairfield VFW, preparing a traditional turkey dinner free of charge for the community.

The 21st annual dinner drew more than 100 people on Thursday, and nearly 120 meals were shipped out to residents who were shut-ins or otherwise unable to make it to the meal site.

Most of the participants were senior citizens, who breathed in the intermingling scents of turkey and gravy and watched as an assembly line of volunteers scooped mashed potatoes and cranberry sauce into white pressed foam packages. After steaming piles of turkey, squash, peas and rolls were added, the packages were scooped up by more volunteers and whisked out the door for delivery.

“This is my 12th year as a volunteer here,” said Doughty, pausing as his fellow cooks rushed past him with massive tubs of mashed potatoes and platters overflowing with turkey. “We got here at 7 a.m. this morning and we’ve been going ever since,” he said.

A mix of volunteers showed up to put on Thursday’s dinner, and many of them spent their time cooking. Among other items, crews prepared 140 pounds of turkey, 100 pounds of potatoes, 18 dozen rolls and 4 gallons of gravy.

Some of the volunteers were members of the local Rotary Club or the Knights of Columbus, and players from the girls basketball team at Fort Fairfield High School also helped.

George Watson, who works for the town’s Public Works Department, said that he has been drawn to volunteering at the event for the past seven years because it is a “great community project.”

“It’s just something that needs to be done,” he explained, watching as a line of people snaked into the dining room and a musician struck up a tune on the piano. “It’s not that hard to do and we have fun doing it.”

Any food leftover was taken immediately to the Sister Mary O’Donnell Shelter in Presque Isle.

Such selfless volunteer work was common throughout Aroostook County on Thursday.

In Caribou, the Kiwanis Club sponsored a free dinner in the cafeteria at Cary

Medical Center.

In Sherman, a free dinner was served at the Washburn Memorial Church, and restaurants and organizations in other communities were hosts to similar events.

Back at the Fort Fairfield VFW, Doughty leaned back against the kitchen sink and lauded the work of his fellow volunteers.

“We are community spirit,” he said.