Bush visits Berkeley Plantation

President Bush this morning toured the Central Virginia Foodbank in Richmond, where he honored a volunteer worker and briefly helped place canned food into a cart for distribution.

He then gave the president's annual Thanksgiving message at Berkeley Plantation in Charles City County before flying out of Richmond International Airport aboard Air Force One about 1:30 p.m. Bush praised America's freedom and prosperity in his remarks to about 800 people at Berkeley.

The president's audience was friendly; he was greated with wild applause. After his 15-minute long address Bush plunged into the crowd and lingered to shake hands and pick up babies.

Then he greated members of the Chickahominy Indian Tribe and had his picture taken with them.

He flew to Berkeley in a helicopter, one of five that took off from behind the Science Museum of Virginia after the food bank visit. The helicopter contingent arrived at Berkeley a little after noon, flying directly over the reproduction Godspeed, which was anchored in the middle of the James River.

Bush arrived in Richmond about 10:30 this morning on a dual mission: To honor foodbank volunteer Paul Anderson and to make the remarks at Berkeley, the site of a Virginia Thanksgiving that claims primacy over that of the Pilgrims in Plymouth Rock.

Upon his arrival at the Richmond airport, the president was greeted by sewveral Virginia politicians.

Waiting to greet him were Republican Lt. Gov. Bill Bolling, Virginia Attorney General Bob McDonnell, also a Republican, and U.S. Reps. Eric I. Cantor, R-7th, J. Randy Forbes, R-4th, and Robert C. "Bobby" Scott, D-3rd.

At the airport, Bush honored Anderson with the President's Volunteer Service Award.

Anderson, a member of the foodbank's operations committee, has logged more than 500 hours of volunteer service this year, the White House said.

Anderson then accompanied the president during a tour of the food bank's distribution center, where agencies and organizations shop for their shelters.

The president greeted shoppers and food bank volunteers at the warehouse, food bank spokeswoman Kim Bridges said.

In his remarks at the plantation, Bush recognized the claim that the first Thanksgiving took place on Dec. 4, 1619, at Berkeley, more than a year before the Pilgrims landed at Plymouth Rock in Massachusetts and two years before the Pilgrims observed what has caught on in history as the first Thanksgiving.

The Thanksgiving holiday, observed on the fourth Thursday of November, commemorates the Pilgrims' celebration of the good harvest of 1621.

Berkeley is a plantation on the James River that was the home of the Benjamin Harrison family that produced two presidents.

A boat from Jamestown sailed up the James and landed there in December 1619.

According to a document, an edict from the London Company, which settled Jamestown, read:

"Wee ordaine that the day of our ships arrival at the place assigned for platacon in the land of Virginia shall be yearly and perpetually keept holy as a day of thanksgiving to Almighty God."

That is the basis of the Virginia claim. Contact Tyler Whitley at (804) 649-6780 or . Contact Mark Bowes at (804) 649-6450 or