It would seem that Thanksgiving is a day best shared with others. And if that’s the case, then there is perhaps no better place in Loveland to spend part of the holiday then at the Loveland Associated Veterans Club.
As has become a local Thanksgiving tradition on par with football and pumpkin pie, the club was filled Wednesday with volunteers serving up a traditional Thanksgiving meal to veterans, their families and anyone else who was alone, in need or simply without a place to go on Thanksgiving.
All of the food served at the event, which includes turkey, sides and desserts, was donated or purchased with donations.
Volunteer Amorelle Hughes said the event had already served 154 people at noon and she expected hundreds more to come through over the next couple of hours. Hughes and other volunteers began cooking on Sunday, she said.
“We think we’ve had between 200 and 300 people volunteer,” she said. “It’s not just like a little neighborhood, it’s a whole city that does this between volunteers and donations.”
Among the residents of seemingly all ages who volunteered at the event were Alyssa and Heath Morbi and their children. The couple helped with serving at the event while their kids joined others in serving drinks and desserts from rolling carts.
Morbi said the family decided to volunteer at the event, which they were doing for the first time, because they wanted “to give back” as a family.
“I wanted the kids to experience this,” she said. “I wanted to expose them to this process.”
Coming to enjoy a meal at the event has also become an annual tradition for many residents, including Ray McCoul.
McCoul, who was homeless for several years before getting housing through the city in August, said he learned about the event at City Hall about three years ago and has come with some friends every year since.
“We’ve always liked coming and having a good meal,” he said. “This year we actually brought some other people with us.”
Marlys Joyce, who lives in Longmont, came to volunteer with her daughter whose family is very active in the community.
“We take Thanksgiving for granted,” she said. “But a lot of people don’t have a place to go on Thanksgiving. This is a great way to give back.”
Kent Bolman is a veteran and former member of the Loveland Associated Veterans Club who has been coming for six years.
He said he enjoys the event because he knows a lot of people who come to the dinner and is continuously impressed by the growth of the dinner, which he said has grown by about 20 percent each year. He is always impressed by the community support for the event.
“It’s just a lot of good people,” he said. “You notice there’s a lot of kids serving which is fantastic.”
However, it was volunteer Marilyn Davis who perhaps summarized the meal best.
“It just makes you feel good,” she said.
Paul Albani-Burgio: 970-699-5407, palbani-burgio@reporter-herald.com
