Center prepares for season of giving

With Thanksgiving just around the corner, the Golden Hour Senior Center is already making preparations for its annual Thanksgiving dinner.

This dinner may take place a week early, but the meaning is still the same — it’s a time for family and friends to get together around a nice dinner and give thanks for what they have.

GHSC activities coordinator Megan Brown said the dinner, which takes place Thursday, will cost $8 per person; and is open to the public. She said anyone, any age, is welcome to attend the Thanksgiving dinner, which will consist of the usual fixings including, turkey, mashed potatoes with gravy, green bean casserole, cranberry sauce, dinner roll and of course, pumpkin pie.

Two dinners will take place Thursday, one at 11:30 a.m., and the other at 1 p.m.

Brown said they have had two dinners in the past to ensure all who wanted to attend could make it. The 11:30 a.m. dinner is always the most popular and Brown encouraged people to get there early if they wanted to attend this one.

Along with the dinner for the 11:30 a.m. sitting, the GHSC arranged a bit of entertainment. The Green River High School theater students will perform their state drama acts.

“We just love working with those drama kids,” Brown said.

This will take place from 11 a.m. to 1 p.m. It’s a win-win for both groups, the students can get more practice in front of an audience; and those attending the dinner will get to enjoy a show.

“I think many seniors don’t have any family around here so it’s really the only big dinner they will get,” Brown said.

With the season of giving already on one Green River resident’s mind, enough money was donated to provide 10 dinners to Mansface Terrace residents. Brown said that will really make a difference in those seniors lives since they are on tight budgets.

Those who are unable to leave their homes will be delivered the big meal by volunteer drivers. Brown said this year the center is planning on delivering 55 dinners to shut-in residents.

After the dinner, residents are encouraged to check out the center’s tree of sharing. On this tree, residents will find about 25 angels with names and information on gifts seniors on fixed incomes need to make it through the holiday season.

“It’s really sad,” Brown said. “Most of them just want the bare necessities.”

One person put down that they wanted socks; and another a winter coat.

She said the less fortunate seniors in Green River are really not asking for much on those Christmas lists.

Any resident can take one of the names off of the tree and buy a couple of the items on the list. All of the gifts must be returned back to the senior center in a gift bag by Dec. 17 so the center has enough time to get them all delivered.

The residents on this tree will also receive a free Christmas dinner. The residents on the tree were also asked to put down one of their favorite foods.

Brown said the tree of sharing is a project the group talked about doing in the past, but never seemed to have time to get it organized. This year, that changed and they are happy to help out.

“We thought it would be good to give back to our seniors,” she said.