It’s the 30th year of Montrose Community Dinners Thanksgiving meals, and Kevin Kuns, who is in charge of the annual event, wants to celebrate by making this year’s edition the best ever.
Every year, the organization feeds the community — anyone who wants a meal can have one for free.
Kuns did the math, and he estimates the organization has fed around 65,000 people in total.
But he credits the community for that service. Local businesses chip in a lot. The big donors for this year’s event have contributed about $5-6,000.
“We love volunteers, donations, whatever people can give,” Kuns said. “We went in recent years from feeding 1,600 people on Thanksgiving, to 3,500.”
Kuns said the event has garnered 350 volunteers for this years events.
Inflation and the price of food has been a challenge this year.
“What we were paying back then, compared to today, turkeys cost us twice as much,” he said. “Paper goods, twice as much.”
Montrose Community Dinners feeds people in person, but they also do deliveries. Last year, 1,400 meals were picked up and delivered, twice as many as they were doing just five years ago.
The organization is asking for people to donate if they can, to make the event possible. And any money not used for the Thanksgiving dinner is given to local youth organizations, like the Boys and Girls Club, local Scouts troops, and local sports teams.
Kuns hopes they will serve 4,000 meals this year at Friendship Hall at the Montrose County Fairgrounds.
And he reminds people “we do that all in three hours. That’s a lot of meals in three hours for volunteers.”
He said there is no limit on the number of meals people are allowed to pick up. They don’t ask questions. They just serve.
“It’s that time of year when you’re growing up as a kid. It’s good memories for a lot of people,” he said. “When you’re less fortunate, sometimes you need a hand up. I really think though that this is just that one time a year that everybody can get together.”
There will be live music once again this year, also.
Meals will be served Thanksgiving Day at Friendship Hall. Go to montrosecommunitydinners.com for more information, like how to donate or request delivery.
Justin Tubbs is the Montrose Business Times editor. He can be reached by email at justin@montrosebusinesstimes.com or by phone at 970-765-0915 or mobile at 254-246-2260.
