Holiday meal brings community together

link Staff photo: Aubry Buzek

Victoria Chavez, a senior at Clovis High School, served warm meals to community members at the Lighthouse Mission’s Thanksgiving Day meal. More than 87 volunteers served 256 people at the mission, and delivered 282 meals to homebound, disabled and elderly people and their family members.

For 12 years, the Lighthouse Mission on L. Casillas boulevard fed, clothed and provided a place for people to celebrate together on Thanksgiving Day.

This year’s occasion offered people more than a warm holiday meal; it was a chance for 256 members of the community and 87 volunteers to get to know each other.

“Everybody has their own story,” said Jose Griego, a retired educator.

Griego said he came to the Lighthouse Mission for Thanksgiving “… to honor this community, and to sit down and break some bread.”

Many of the volunteers at the mission were children and teens from Clovis High School. BJ Bernet, the coach of the Clovis High School cheerleading team, brought 14 of her students and their friends to volunteer for the holiday for the first time. Some even missed out on festivities with their own families to serve the community.

Victoria Chavez, a senior at Clovis High School, cheerleader, and volunteer at the mission, said her parents were a little upset she wasn’t at home.

“… I don’t care,” Chavez said. “I love giving to people and I love hearing what they have to say. It makes me happy.”

“I just have a love for people,” said Deamatios Burton, a volunteer, senior at Clovis High School, and cheerleader. “For me it’s not volunteering, I just love to help people in the community. This makes me happy.”

Richard Gomez, the director of the Lighthouse Mission, supervised quietly while the multitude of volunteers worked to cook, deliver and clean up the many meals served on the holiday. In addition to serving meals at the mission, the volunteers delivered 282 meals to homebound, elderly, disabled people and their families.

“I think it’s great,” Gomez said while watching the volunteers hard at work. “It does a lot for the volunteers. It gives them a place to reach out to the community.”

Gomez said for the last month the mission has been cooking the 30 turkeys served on Thanksgiving Day. The mission also had donated coats and fresh produce for the community to take home.

The Lighthouse Mission continues to serve the community throughout the year with a soup kitchen, clothing bank, homeless shelter, and recovery program.