NORRIDGEWOCK -- An anonymous patron of a Main Street restaurant said he would pick up the tab for 160 Thanksgiving dinners, with all the fixings, next Thursday if the restaurant owner agreed to host the event and cook the food.

Laura Lorette, owner of What's For Supper restaurant, accepted the challenge, then recruited about 30 members of her extended family who will help her cook and wait on tables.

Lorette said she is calling the event a "community celebration feast" and it's free for all area residents, not just those who live in Norridgewock.

"It was last Wednesday, one of my customers was in just to get coffee and muffins and asked what I was doing for Thanksgiving dinner," Lorette said. "I told him the restaurant was closed and we were going to have a family dinner and he said, 'I will make a deal with you, Laura, if you will open up and feed those people who don't have a place to go, I will pay for the meals.'"

Lorette was in.

She said she contacted local churches, Norridgewock Central Grade School and the Community Food Cupboard to get the word out and to help bring in food donations.

She said she also asked her mother, Linda Daigle, who works at What's For Supper, to help, along with her four children, her brother and sister, their families, cousins and other family members as well.

"I called them to let them know that I thought that Thanksgiving was going to change and asked how they felt about it and everybody was on board and willing to participate," Lorette said. "Everybody's going to come and help serve and cook."

There are to be four, one-hour servings for 40 people each, beginning at noon on Thanksgiving Day. Reservations are needed to assure that there is enough food and enough room for everybody.

"If the demand is greater, then we will feed more -- I'll fill up those early reservations first," she said.

Lorette's two sons, Percy, a fifth-grader, and Forrest, a second-grader, said they look forward to helping people enjoy Thanksgiving this year.

"It's probably just going to be good because I like to help people," Forrest said.

His big brother agreed.

"I really glad, because I know that we're going to be helping out somebody in the community and it's just really nice to know that you can help out somebody," the boy said. "I'll probably be waitering with my cousins."

Anyone interested in eating Thanksgiving dinner at the restaurant at 66 Main St. is being asked to call 431-4708 and leave a voice message indicating their name, their telephone number and the number of people in their party. Lorette is asking people not to call the restaurant.

So far, there have been donations of apples, potatoes and coffee and people are volunteering to help prepare and serve the meals, which will be cooked right there in the restaurant on Thanksgiving Day.

Lorette said she and her family will make all the pies for dessert.

As for the identity of the mystery man who is paying for Thanksgiving dinners, that will just have to remain a mystery, Lorette said.

"He's been a customer of the restaurant for quite a long time," she said. "He does not want to be identified. He just wants to make sure that everybody has a sense of belonging and a place to go and a place to have part of a holiday. It's his simple idea of a kindness.

"To me, it doesn't have anything to do with income. It's just simply has to do with people wanting to come together as community to share in a Thanksgiving Day meal."

Doug Harlow -- 474-9534, ext. 342

dharlow@centralmaine.com