Lunch for sixty?

I couldn't decide on a title for this post. The first one that came to mind was,"Oh, my aching feet!", but given the background it seems more than a little self absorbed.

I coordinate the funeral meals for our church. Today we provided lunch for the family before a memorial service. Customarily, services are held around 10:00 with lunch following. For the last several years we've been serving a casserole with salads and desserts. We ask how many to expect, but it's always just a guess.

I use this old-time favorite recipe for the casserole:

Tator Tot Casserole

Brown together:
2 lbs hamburger seasoned w/salt, pepper & onion

Add:
1 can cream of mushroom soup
1 can cream of celery soup
2 cans green beans, drained

Top:
2 lbs. tator tots

Mix browned, seasoned burger, soups & green beans. Spread in the bottom of a 9 X 13 pan sprayed with non-stick cooking spray. Top with the tator tots. Bake at 350 until bubbly & brown.

Although this recipe should serve 12-15, I estimate one recipe per 10 people to be served, just to be safe.

I call my list of faithfuls who volunteer to donate food or work in the kitchen and they bring salads and desserts. Just before the meal I pop pans of yeast rolls in the oven to give the kitchen a comforting, homey smell. Who doesn't love the smell of fresh baked bread?

We don't charge anything for this, though families often make a donation, and we don't have a budget, it just always works out.

A time or two, I have been pretty stressed when the attendance greatly exceeded the estimate. Then there was the time that Pastor invited everyone downstairs for lunch when we only planned for 70, but still it worked out okay. This jobs makes you believe in loaves & fishes.

Here's a picture of some of my helpers today. Don't they look lovely? Sorry, I didn't get a picture of everyone. There were three more of us.

Wasn't this a pretty spread?