Gather together and give thanks:

Gunnison Valley community invited to free Thanksgiving meal

By Kendra Walker

Thanksgiving is a special time in the Gunnison Valley – the ski resort has opened, the busyness of the winter season has yet to arrive, the snow is falling and the excitement of the holidays is quickly approaching. However, this time of year can also be challenging – it’s still sleepy in town, work has not picked up and it’s often difficult to travel and see family. Many of us might not be able to cook a Thanksgiving meal or have a place to go celebrate. 

Luckily, there are folks in the valley looking to change that and help create a space for all to enjoy what the Thanksgiving holiday is truly about: bringing community together. 

The Gunnison Country Food Pantry, in partnership with various local sponsors and organizations, is inviting the entire Gunnison Valley community to the Gunnison Community Thanksgiving for a free Thanksgiving meal. The event takes place on Thanksgiving Day, November 28, from 12 to 2 p.m. at the Fred Field Center at the Gunnison County Fairgrounds. Everyone is invited and welcome.

“We want everyone in the community to have a place to be and come together,” say co-organizers of the event, Janet Cox and Food Pantry executive director Jodi Payne. Payne stresses that the free event is for anyone, not just need-based patrons of the Food Pantry. “The need is not based on needing food, but needing or wanting somewhere to be. It’s open to everyone, no reservation required, no need required, just come. And the best part is you don’t have to do any dishes at the end!”

Payne and Cox say the dream for a community Thanksgiving event started a few years back during the pandemic but couldn’t come to fruition during the height of COVID. Thanks to the generous financial support from Trinity Baptist Church and volunteer efforts from Six Points, they were able to make that dream a reality for the first time last year. 

They also recruited former Palisades Restaurant chef Jeff Boril to cook the meal. “I know how to plan events but have no clue how to cook for that many people,” says Payne. “Chef Jeff is the cornerstone of this effort.” 

Payne says around 180 people attended last year’s inaugural meal. “For the first time trying something, we were really pleased with the turnout,” she says. Cox agrees, “We didn’t know what would happen or who would show up. So many people turned out that were excited to help and last year went really well.”

This year, they hope to grow the event and anticipate 300 people in attendance. The Food Pantry is providing most of the supplies, and they now have support from multiple sponsors, including several local faith groups and food organizations such as Camp 4 Coffee, Mountain Roots and Mountain Oven pitching in supplies, among others who have offered to donate food and financial help. “Our sponsors and partners grow every year, and we’re so grateful for their support,” says Cox. 

“It’s really beautiful to see folks excited about it and wanting to contribute, even if they have other Thanksgiving plans or their congregations might not necessarily be attending,” says Payne. 

It wouldn’t be a Thanksgiving meal without turkey, and the menu also includes holiday staples such as mashed potatoes, gravy (“Last year we ran out of Chef Jeff’s homemade gravy, so we ordered double,” says Cox), stuffing and cranberry sauce. There will also be pies provided by City Market.

Community members are also welcome to bake pies for the silent auction. “A lot of people want to contribute in some way. Many have offered to bake pies,” says Cox. “So we decided we’re going to do a silent auction and people can purchase those homemade pies and take them home. Those proceeds will go into next year’s Thanksgiving.”

As part of the event, the Food Pantry is also hosting a spice drive. “If people are looking for another way to contribute, we’re inviting folks to bring an unopened spice of some sort to help spice up the holidays,” says Payne. 

In addition to the free Thanksgiving meal, the event will have kids’ activities and games and live music from Chris Cody and Fuerza Cora Brasil Musical.  

And while Payne and Janet say they are currently set for volunteers, they still welcome interest if people want to get on the list and help out next year. “Over 30 volunteers have offered their time and energy toward the event. We’ve had great help,” says Payne. “We have more volunteers than work at this point. What a good problem to have!”

Payne also says that if people want to donate or are interested in sponsoring the event, they can reach out through the Food Pantry website. “We anticipate this growing, so in the coming years we’ll need more financial support and human power.”

Cox says that moving forward, the hope is to put on more community meals like this throughout the year. “We’ve had some people ask if we would do one at Christmas. Not this year since we’re still growing, but I can see five years from now this becoming an official community meal group,” she says.

For now, they are excited to gather together with the community at next week’s meal. “We’re a community, we’re a family,” says Cox. “And when we have families coming together and bringing in their family and friends, we know we’re doing it right.”

For more information about the Gunnison Community Thanksgiving, visit gunnisoncountryfoodpantry.org/gunnison-community-thanksgiving/