People gather for community Thanksgiving

By CHARITY SMITH

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Bessemer - A complimentary holiday meal brought forth by the Bessemer VFW Post 3673 gave many members of the community a place to go this Thanksgiving and a reason to be thankful.

"I'm so glad that I could come here. Otherwise I would have had nowhere to go," said Vicki Duray, of Ironwood, who attended the dinner with her son, Dylan. She said she found out last minute about the dinner and said she was so thankful to the person she spoke with at the grocery store for telling her about the meal.

Donna Frello, post commander, said that the post has been hosting the meal annually for five years. She said that as military folk, they know the importance of camaraderie, when family is absent. So they wanted to offer people a place to go this Thanksgiving.

"It was a wonderful thing to have so many people come together. Just a variety of people. We are happy to do it at no cost for the veterans, for the families, for everyone. It's just a celebration of the holiday," said Frello. "This isn't geared to needy people. The invitation is extended to everyone."

Tina Ellison, of Ewen, said she came to enjoy the company of those in the community that might not have anybody to celebrate with.

"I'm thankful to be able to be spending Thanksgiving with the people who don't get to spend Thanksgiving with family," said Ellison. "Just spending time with them. Getting to know them."

She said she doesn't really have any family left and likes to donate as much time as she can to the community.

The post had sought out 25 volunteers to make the meal happen and said they were overwhelmed with the amount of people who volunteered their time not only on the holiday, but before the holiday to help prep the meal.

"We were blessed this year with a large number of volunteers, many of which have committed for next year," Frello said.

This year, the post offered two time slots for the community Thanksgiving meal, in order to prevent overcrowding and possible spread of the the COVID-19 virus. Frello said that the majority of guests chose the earlier time slot, approximately 150 people. Another 75 guests attended the latter meal and at least 70 people were able to get a carryout or delivered meal.

"It was a blessing to have so many people here this year and it wasn't overly crowded or overwhelming," Frello said. "Everything was timed really well."

She said there weren't a whole lot of leftovers, that they made "just the right amount." Any leftovers they did have went home with guests.

The meal included turkey, ham, green-bean casserole, sweet potatoes, mashed potatoes, stuffing, corn, dinner rolls, cranberries, pineapple fluff, a variety of pies and cakes, coffee and water. The bar was open for those who wished to purchase an adult beverage or pop.

John Harteloo,77, a veteran from Ironwood, said that he really enjoyed the meal and was thankful to have the community dinner this holiday as he did not have holiday plans as the majority of his loved ones are now deceased.

"I had no place to go so I came here," Harteloo said. "Years back I used to take a 95-year-old lady to things like this. She has since passed on and I've gotten away from all my friends. So many have moved out of town and I've lost a few. I would have been here with some others, but they became deceased this year. Quite a few of them. When you get to be my age, you wonder who should go first. It's hard to see your friends deceased and you be the survivor cause you have no friends left, so do you go or do they go. But I still have some friends left who depend on me so I got to stick around."

Julie Glatczak, a military mom from Bessemer, said she is thankful for the way the community comes together here.

"I'm thankful to be living in an area that - we have had a couple tragedies here with COVID deaths and young people dying and the way the community comes together," she said.

Many people echoed the same sentiments, others said they were thankful for Jesus, family and friends.

Frello said she is planning on celebrating Thanksgiving with the community again next year. She said the two meal times and carry-out and delivery options will depend on the status of the pandemic next season.

"We didn't allow that many carry-outs in the past because the purpose was to bring everybody together," she said.

Frello said she is grateful for all the businesses that made unsolicited contributions to help cover the cost and to the volunteers.

"The volunteers were phenomenal," she said. "We don't ask for donations but people just do and it's a beautiful thing. It is just awesome."