Serving Clovis, Portales and the Surrounding Communities
Serving Clovis, Portales and the Surrounding Communities
Community meals offer chance of fellowship for those alone or in need
Michelle Armijo checks on a couple of the birds, making at least 30 turkeys in the works for Thursday's community meal in Clovis.
There's no need to eat alone this Thanksgiving, not with free community meals prepared to serve hundreds in Portales and Clovis.
Two such annual events are entering their 16th or 17th year running, according to their organizers. In both cases the meals run from 11 a.m. to 1 p.m., with the Lighthouse Mission planning to serve at least 500 in Clovis while the "Community Outreach" group is preparing to serve as many in Portales' Memorial Building.
Veterans of Foreign Wars Post 9515 is also preparing to serve 100 to 150 people during the same time frame, officials told The News.
The meals will be traditional holiday fare of turkey, stuffing and the works - in Portales, Joe Parie said some attendees had even admonished organizers for serving ham, which is more commonly reserved for Christmas.
"It's just a tremendous outreach," he said Monday. "The city's been nice enough to give us the memorial building that day, and everything's just fallen into place."
Attendance has varied over the years, Parie added, but they expect anywhere from 350 to 500 along with the meals they'll distribute to the homebound.
"We encourage people, if you can make it to the Memorial Building then come out and get it, just so you can socialize, get out of the house," he said.
Organizers are meanwhile holding food and coat collections with boxes at City Hall, local churches and the Memorial Building, with the drive continuing at the meal Thursday. Learn more or request a meal delivery at 575-356-4241.
On Monday, the executive director for Clovis' Lighthouse Mission at 407 L. Casillas Boulevard said preparation was going strong with 28 turkeys already cooked and more in progress, along with pies and the standard Thanksgiving fixings.
"We're just looking at anybody that doesn't have a place to go, or can't make a meal or are just by themselves this year. It's free and open to the public," Richard Gomez told The News. "And we are delivering to people who are shut-ins or elderly or can't make it."
His wife Geri Gomez emphasized the importance of the "human touch" in bringing together volunteers and other community members over a common purpose, sharing in a meal that might otherwise be spent alone.
"A meal is a meal, but when it is a meal shared together, it makes all the difference in the world," she said.
Call Richard Gomez at 575-799-0902 for more information or to request a meal.
