Thanksgiving Community Dinner in ninth year

The ninth annual Thanksgiving Community Dinner will be held at the Greybull Rec Center Wednesday, Nov. 26 from 5:30 p.m. to 7:30 p.m. 

Local churches work together to organize the event, providing free Thanksgiving meals to anyone who wants or needs them. More than 300 people attended last year’s event. 

“We all band together and buy all the food, all the turkeys, all the stuffing, all of it except for the pies. We need homemade pies!” organizer Lori Thon said.

Dinner will consist of turkey, stuffing, mashed potatoes and sweet potatoes, cranberries and homemade rolls from the Mennonite community. That, and “more pies than you could ever imagine.”

The event relies on the work of volunteers who cook, serve and clean up after. Organizers are hoping for a team of about 20 servers to work in one-hour shifts, and as of Monday have about five turkeys that will still need roasting. First Baptist Church in Basin organizes a delivery service so people may receive a Thanksgiving dinner at their door. To have a meal delivered, call Thon at 307-250-1678, as she is running that spreadsheet. Other organizers include Beverly Henke (307-202-1441), Kay Mattis (307-272-4188) and Theresa Dewitt (307-388-8237) who may all take questions. 

Each year, the dinner honors the memory of Dale and Cheryl Baxter, who were always an important part of the Thanksgiving meal. James and Rebecca Scott are also recognized. 

“Especially now, I just think that when the churches come together and provide food, I believe that is so important, to show our love,” Thon said.