Smorgasboard contributes to charity

Swedesburg Evangelical Lutheran Church raised $6,200 at its annual smorgasbord in 2012, which has been distributed to various charities.

A total of $3,450 has been distributed in Henry County and in Burlington. Local recipients include Community Action, Family Connection, Fellowship Cup, Friendship House, Habitat for Humanity, Hope Haven Development Center (both in Burlington and Mt Pleasant), OC Food Pantry, Young House Family Services and the YWCA Domestic Violence Shelter in Burlington. The balance has gone to Lutheran health, hunger, family support, disaster relief, African mission and chaplaincy efforts.

The smorgasboard is held the first Thursday of December. It was initiated in 1938 and has been a local event every year since then except for two years during WWII.

The menu includes many traditional Scandinavian dishes, all freshly prepared from recipes handed down for generations.