Hartville Fire Department and Lions team up for community Thanksgiving dinner

It may have been a bit early, but the Hartville Fire Department served up Thanksgiving dinner on Saturday, Nov. 15, 2025, from 11 a.m. to 2 p.m. It was the first time they had done this since 2019. The meal was traditional: lots of turkey with a choice of dark or white meat, mashed potatoes, gravy, dressing, a sweet potato casserole, salad, rolls and butter. Lemonade, coffee, tea and water were available for beverages.

Fire Chief Mike Lorentz stated, “We served around 300 people, which was less than the last time we held the dinner in 2019. We thought that was a pretty good turnout as this is a rebuilding year. We will be donating some of the money to local charities and we also are going to reinvest some of the money into our kitchen and supplies for next year. We had a team of about 35 people on Saturday to make it all happen. The Hartville Lions Club was a great addition to the team as they all stepped in and got right to work. Definitely thanks to them for their help.” They also accepted takeout orders and approximately 70 meals went out that way.

This year, the Hartville Lions teamed up with the Fire Department to serve attendees. It was a good place to meet up with others from the community. Jeff Finefrock of the Lions said, “The Hartville Lions Club was so pleased to help the Hartville Fire Department with the Community Thanksgiving Dinner. The Hartville Fire Department took the lead in resurrecting this community tradition. They approached a member of our Lions Club who was instrumental in organizing the event. The Hartville Lions who volunteered Saturday all agreed that the Community Thanksgiving Dinner combines the Lions’ pillars of community and service. The Hartville Lions are looking forward to helping the Hartville Fire Department with next year’s dinner.”

Monetary donations were accepted from attendees for the dinner food. Also available were several raffle baskets awarded to those whose purchased tickets were selected. Of course, the fire trucks were there for fun photo opportunities.

The Hartville Fire Department had a long list of sponsors they wanted to thank. They are Acme North Canton; AutoZone; Back Nine Golf; Best Bib & Tucker; Bev Green; Center Ice; CFP Design; Chipotle; Comfort Inn; Congress Lake Country Club; Country Herbs & Flowers; Dairy Queen; Design Restoration; Eatz & Treatz; Edward Jones; Freda Hathaway; Front Porch; Gentlebrook; Giant Eagle; Greg Campbell; Grinders; Hartville Chocolate Factory; Hartville Kitchen; Hartville Lions Club; Honadles Candies; Hot Pots; Lake Elementary School; Lake Primary School; Lake YMCA; Maize Valley; McDonald’s; MD Body; MJ Miller; Mr. Hero; Mission BBQ; Mailed It Wood Projects; Nevaeh Salon & Spa; O’Reilly; Peace, Love & Little Donuts; Pump It Up; Shaeffer’s Market; Shear Shop – Uniontown; Starbucks; Starkey & Runkle; Texas Roadhouse; The Christ Foundation; and Trident Restoration.