Nobody should be alone during major holidays like Thanksgiving, particularly veterans, said Christopher Emilio Chavez, with the Veterans of Foreign Wars Post 4031 in Durango.
He and Suzanne Vargasse, co-organizers of the VFW’s annual Thanksgiving Day meal, were bustling through the VFW’s kitchen and dining hall shortly before noon Thursday, ensuring everything was in place.
Pleasing scents of Thanksgiving dinner staples wafted about the dining hall. Volunteers smiled behind a serving station where gravy, turkey, stuffing, red chili, prime rib, cranberry sauce and sweet potato casserole were waiting to be claimed by hungry guests.
An assortment of desserts – apple and pumpkin pie and other treats – was offered at another serving station close by.
Ninety percent of the food was donated, Chavez said. Uncle’s Fixins, a food truck business, sponsored the event.
“This is great because I’m single and all my relatives – literally all my relatives – are dead,” said Terry Saxon, VFW and American Legion member. “So this is the holiday here. It’s great. It’s wonderful.”
He said he’s thankful for the meal and the experience provided by VFW – and he’s grateful for his health.
“Being alive,” he said, reflecting on recent days. “In the last week, I (got) out of Mercy. I’ve been declared cancer-free. That’s what I’m happy about. It makes (for) a big holiday gift.”
All of the volunteers who helped make the meal possible had a chance to eat ahead of the main meal. Chavez said one-by-one, the volunteers shared what each of them were thankful for.
“You’d be surprised how many of them were thankful for us doing this and for a place so they’re not alone today,” he said.
Kylie Alexander, who was helping in the kitchen, said she arrived at the VFW at 7:40 a.m. to help with preparations.
She said the community Thanksgiving meal warms the heart.
“The holidays can be lonely, especially for veterans who are older. They might not have any family around,” said volunteer Marissa Wilson.
Some people might not have the resources to make their own Thanksgiving dinner or a family to share it with. At the VFW, they don’t have to worry about that, she said.
Maria Vaughn said she and her husband, Patrick, volunteered for the VFW’s Thanksgiving meal several years ago and, without family visiting town this year and no travel plans, decided to help the VFW again on Thursday.
“It feels like home,” she said of the VFW.
She grew up in a military family. Her brother, father and grandparents all served, and she’s always appreciated the sense of duty people of military backgrounds carry, she said.
She said she was thankful for the VFW’s Thanksgiving meal because she had nothing else planned for the holiday.
Alexander shared a similar sentiment.
“I moved out here all alone and there were times where I was alone,” she said. “When I came here, they said, ‘This is your new family.”
For many, Thanksgiving means spending the day at home surrounded by friends, family and good food.
First responders don’t always get to enjoy the day off at home. But that doesn’t mean they don’t enjoy other holiday luxuries.
Seth Thomas with Durango Fire Protection District said working holidays is just part of the job. Fire crews invited their families to the station for a traditional Thanksgiving smorgasbord Thursday afternoon.
Thomas said the shift, which began Wednesday morning, had been low-key as of midday Thursday, and that’s how the crews like it during the holidays.
“I’ve always enjoyed working holidays, being at the station. It’s like a good family day for our life here, and then family time – where our families get to come and spend time with us while we’re at work,” he said.
DFPD’s Scott Peterson said he misses family time during the holidays – his household was hosting Thanksgiving for relatives this year.
“Everybody in my world is happy and healthy right now, so that’s about as much as we can ask for,” he said.
Manna soup kitchen staff members and volunteers were busy Thursday preparing Thanksgiving meals that would be distributed across La Plata County.
Workers dressed in aprons scooped various foodstuffs out of warm aluminum trays and into carry-out boxes, which other workers wheeled away on utility carts for distribution.
“Our kitchen team has been working super hard for the past few weeks,” said Marissa Hunt, Manna co-executive director.
Manna had enough supplies to serve 1,000 meals on Thanksgiving Day. She said 300 meals would be available for pickup between 9 a.m. and 1 p.m., and 700 meals were to be delivered across La Plata County.
The meal distribution was a community effort with two churches aiding Manna.
The meals consisted of pies, salad, turkey, vegetables and mashed potatoes, in addition to stuffing prepared by Christ the King Lutheran Church, Hunt said.
“Like a traditional Thanksgiving fare, people are welcome to come and get as many meals as they need,” she said.
Thirty volunteers from Durango Vineyard Church delivered the food, while another 20 volunteers aided staff members with meal preparation inside the soup kitchen.
Manna Kitchen Facility Supervisor Shawn Haught said he and his team have been preparing for the Thanksgiving Day meal distribution – an annual tradition for the soup kitchen – since Nov. 1.
“I’m thankful that the chef this year did not break her ankle a week before Thanksgiving,” he said. “Last year, my chef broke her ankle.”
He said he’s thankful for a full and healthy staff – and that the mashed potatoes are not frozen.
“Last year, we made them too thick, so it took forever to get them cooked. But we did it,” he said.
Volunteer Eryn Bordus said she’s happy to give back to the community and she was feeling thankful for kindness.
“It’s just nice to share, because I feel like I have everything I need and to think of other people makes me happy,” she said.
cburney@durangoherald.com
