Free Community Thanksgiving Dinner to be held at Community Building November 19
Barbara Crimond | Nov 13, 2023 | Comments 0
For one local couple, the holiday spirit has filled their hearts. Kelly Dewey and James Cline have taken on an enormous task, providing a free Thanksgiving dinner to anyone in the community. The event will be held Nov. 19 from 2-4 pm at the Community Building. The Lamar couple decided to have this meal prior to Thanksgiving Day for a multitude of reasons. They felt that by having it early, they would be able to garner more volunteers who can spend the actual holiday with their families, as well as being able to provide a meal for those, including the elderly, who may not have the resources or ability to cook a full holiday meal. College students, in particular, were one of the reasons they came up with the idea. “I remember not being able to go home on a holiday. The school cafeteria was closed and there I was, eating a bologna sandwich in my dorm room,” Kelly told us. “We’re blessed,” she continued, saying they felt the need to help others.
Kelly and James said they have been overwhelmed by the generosity of the community in donating items, helping cook food, volunteering to serve, or helping spread the word about the dinner. The turkeys will be smoked, thanks to a generous donor who offered not only his smoker, but his chef skills. Another donor has made and individually wrapped 400 brownies, while another is making 300-400 handmade dinner rolls. Take-out containers for delivery or leftovers were also generously donated.
They still need a few food items, if anyone would like to donate. Still needed are: 95 packs of turkey gravy, 55 15-oz cans of yams, 51 small cans of cranberries, 25 small cans of dried onions, 22 28.8-oz bags of frozen corn and 100 boxes of stuffing. They stressed that nothing needs to be name-brand. There are multiple drop off boxes around town, including Main St. Shoppe (which the couple recently bought and are revamping) and FogTown. Boxes are just inside the door.
For anyone not able to make it to the Community Building, they are offering free delivery of meals. If you would like to have a meal delivered, please call 719-691-2382 or 719-688-5713 up until the day before the dinner.
By Barbara Crimond
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