Community members invited to free Thanksgiving dinner

By: 
Steve Lyon
A Thanksgiving dinner of turkey with all the trimmings will be served at the Weiser Senior and Community Center on Thursday for anyone and everyone who wants some good food and company. 
 The free turkey dinner has been a holiday tradition in Weiser for more than two decades. Between the meals served at the senior center and the takeout dinners delivered around town, organizers expect to feed 300 or so people. Meals will be served for an extra two hours this year from noon until 4 p.m. 
 The many volunteers that do everything from cooking and carving the turkeys to working the serving line and clearing tables are regulars who enjoy spending part of their Thanksgiving Day helping out. 
 “We have a lot of the same volunteers come back year after year,” said Dana Clary, one of the organizers of the dinner.
 Clary, her husband Toby and mom Susan Slyter, along with their families and many volunteers, make the dinner a success every year. The Clary’s children, Tatem and Quincy, are put to work clearing tables for more diners. Tatem, the younger of the two, has been helping her mom, dad and grandmother at the dinner every Thanksgiving for nearly her entire life.
 “We look forward to it. It’s our tradition. This is what we do on Thanksgiving,” Dana said.
 Slyter and Clary took over organizing the dinner in 2007. Their efforts have continued the legacy of Evelyn Stover and Evelyn Drumheller, two civic-minded women who cooked the community Thanksgiving meal for 17 years. 
 Much of the food that will be served on Thursday was donated or purchased with cash donations. Depending on the size of the birds, the plan is to cook 16 to 20 turkeys, along with 120 pounds of potatoes and 120 pounds of yams. The meal also includes stuffing, gravy and a delectable array of desserts, all donated by the community. The use of the senior center is also donated. 
 Thanksgiving Day starts early for the Clary family and helpers. Local chef Keith Bryant has volunteered to cook the turkeys. He is also the chief gravy maker. There is some prepping for the big meal on Wedenesday, but most of the work starts bright and early Thanksgiving morning at 6 a.m. or so when the turkeys go into the oven.
 Clary said they have the routine down pretty well after a decade of organizing the dinner.  The planning starts about a month in advance. They also coordinate with the volunteer drivers who will deliver the turkey meals in the community on Thursday. 
 Even though the meal is free, many of those who come down to the senior center to dine on Thanksgiving Day leave a donation, which helps cover expenses and buy food for next year’s dinner.
 Generous community members have been known to contribute more than $1,100 in cash at the dinner. There is usually enough to give the senior center a donation as well for use of the building.
 The doors will open at noon at the senior center. Dinner will be served from noon to 4 p.m. Takeout meals to be delivered can be ordered by calling 208-550-4986 or 208-270-1879. 

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Signal American

18 E. Idaho St.
Weiser, ID 83672
PH: (208) 549-1717
FAX: (208) 549-1718
 

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