Most days, you’ll find Michael Balch riding, working on or drag racing motorcycles. Or, he’s working at Pocono Mountain Harley Davidson in Stroudsburg.

But on Wednesday, Balch, 41, of Palmerton, spent the day at Living Hope Lighthouse Church in Palmerton, frying a few turkeys, a ham, and preparing for the church’s annual Community Thanksgiving Dinner.

Balch is a member of Lighthouse Church on Third Street in Palmerton. He originally thought up the idea for the Thanksgiving dinner alongside his cousin, Steve Brooker.

“The first time I ever deep fried a turkey was with (Steve) in the parking lot three years ago,” Balch recalled.

In 2016, Balch, Brooker and the church tried their hand at hosting the dinner. Balch remembers it being a success. But a few weeks after the event, Brooker had a heart attack. He died on Dec. 5, just three weeks before Christmas.

Balch said that the community’s response to Brooker’s sudden death drove him to keep the tradition going.

“You know what made me keep doing this more and more? It was the fact that the town came through, and I filled (Steve’s family’s) whole house with Christmas presents,” Balch said. “The town donated Christmas presents for Stevie’s kids.”

“That’s one of the biggest reasons that I kept doing this, because the town came through for my family when we needed it,” he added.

But Balch has a second reason for giving back to the community, too.

Balch competes in Nitro Harley racing. He started in 2012, practicing at Zinc City and Reading Motorcycle Club. Since, Balch has fallen in love with the sport. But with races happening in all different parts of the country, he said the costs pile up quickly.

That’s where the people of Palmerton come in again. A list of businesses in the borough have helped by sponsoring Balch. And black t-shirts, with the phrase “Balch Racing” written across the chest, have also circulated the town, providing the racer with monetary support to afford hotels and flights.

Balch estimates that in Palmerton alone, he’s probably sold around 200 shirts.

“They sponsor me, you know, they give me money to go chase this dream that I have, or I wouldn’t be doing it. I wouldn’t be able to afford to do it,” Balch said.

Lighthouse’s Community Dinner as well, Balch said, is made possible because of the community. Local businesses donated money for food, and Country Harvest in the borough donated the 35 turkeys cooked for the event.

But collecting the food was just the first step.

The kitchen in the church is small, and volunteers couldn’t cook all the food necessary for the dinner in its confined space. Balch asked his friends on Facebook if they’d be willing to help out, and he got his answer.

On the night of last week's’ winter storm, Balch wasn’t inside. He was driving around the borough, dropping off around 60 turkeys and hams to the people who responded to his request.

That theme of togetherness radiated during Lighthouse’s community dinner. Volunteers worked from noon till night preparing for the feast, and even after everyone who attended had had their fill, Balch spent his evening taking extra food to anyone who requested a share.

“That’s how we do it in our town,” Balch said. “Like when you come off the four lane into this town - I feel it, you know what I mean? Like I can feel the community.”

“It’s a beautiful town full of awesome people,” he added.

“There’s lots of importance to (the dinner),” Chris Bronico, pastor at Living Hope Lighthouse Church, said. “First of all, it’s that idea of togetherness, community.”

“It’s people coming together no matter who they are, no matter their background, no matter anything like that, no matter their religion. It’s just a time to come together and be thankful for all that we have,” Bronico continued.

Captions:

Michael Balch, of Living Hope Lighthouse Church, frys a turkey in anticipation of the church’s third annual Community Thanksgiving Dinner.

Michael Balch (left) and Brandon Rumble set up the serving table for Living Hope Lighthouse Church’s annual Community Thanksgiving Dinner.

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