(TAUNTON GAZETTE) – The Gunter family’s oven chose the worst possible time to break down.
But instead of ruining their Thanksgiving, the mishap made it all the more special, thanks to the kindness of the Taunton Fire Department, Lindsie Gunter said.
“It was the true meaning of Thanksgiving, being thankful, and being around people and showing you care,” Gunter said.
It was about 10 a.m. on Thanksgiving when the carbon monoxide detector went off in the Gunters’ County Street home. It had never happened before and they took it seriously.
They opened all the windows, got everyone outside and called the fire department – but they were hoping it would turn out to be nothing.
No such luck. The firefighters had to shut off the gas to the oven – the only problem? The Gunters’ 27-pound Thanksgiving turkey still had two hours left to roast.
Problem solved.
“These awesome guys offered to let us use their oven to finish our Thanksgiving dinner. Not only did they keep our family safe but also helped save our holiday dinner,” said Lindsie, a school bus driver.
Lindsie and her husband Eric, a contractor for Johnson & Johnson, and their two sons Ashton, 14 and Kamdyn, 10, loaded up their Jeep with their half-baked turkey and casserole dishes and headed for the Weir Street fire station.
It was one of those goose bump moments, when you realize how much you have to be thankful for, Lindsie said.
Back at the station, the firefighters shared donuts and coffee with the Gunters as they waited for their turkey to finish cooking and casserole dishes to heat up.
Meanwhile, the firefighters had to run out a few times on calls, just reminding Lindsie how grateful she was to them for their sacrifice, working on the holiday – and instead of complaining, they were so generous, she said.
“Not only did they keep our family safe buy also helped save our holiday dinner. We are very thankful and lucky to have these heroes with big hearts serving our city,” Lindsie said.
When the turkey was done, the Gunters invited the firefighters to share the meal but a retired firefighter had already delivered a turkey dinner to their door from the Corline Cronan Thanksgiving meal at Coyle and Cassidy – another gesture of kindness on a day of giving.
Thanksgiving is a favorite time of year for the Gunter family. They don’t have a lot of guests, just the four of them plus a friend or two, but they keep their door open to welcome whoever would like to join them to share in their blessings, Lindsie said.
