The Farmington Civic Center was transformed into a festive and welcoming dining hall that served about 700 people on Thanksgiving afternoon.
It was the Salvation Army’s Community Thanksgiving dinner, and it was open to anyone looking for a hearty meal and conversation.
The annual event was from 11 a.m. to 2 p.m., but preparation started long before the doors opened, and the turkey was served. Nearly 200 volunteers came out to take on a variety of jobs, including cooking, decorating, setting up and serving.
“The Civic Center environment is beautiful,” said Tanya Marie, who was volunteering with her daughter Franchesca Marie. “It’s interesting to come together and help these people.”
Marie sat with Mattie Julian, who has volunteered for the past 11 years. “It was wonderful. We had a lot of people to serve,” Julian said.
Julian talked her friend Bert Marsh into coming out this year.
“I met a lot of people,” said Marsh, who admitted she was a bit nervous at first, but “everyone was friendly.”
She also commented that “the food was good.”
The full turkey dinner with all the fixings was prepared in partnership with The Lord’s Pantry and Hills Church, said Lt. Christopher Rockwell, with the Salvation Army.
“We do this every year, and the city and the Civic Center are an amazing partner for us,” Rockwell said, adding, “We couldn’t be more grateful.”
Rockwell said there were 600 people served last year, but the need this year seems greater. “We’ve seen people, who need a lot of food boxes,” he said.
“This year has been very good,” Rockwell said. “We had a lot of volunteers and a lot of hungry mouths to feed.”
