The comforting, holiday aroma of a turkey on the stove and all of the fixings filled the Coal Creek Community Hall on Thursday, November 25, 2021. The Coal Creek Canyon Improvement Association sponsored a free Thanksgiving Dinner from 11:30 a.m. to 2:30 p.m., at the Coal Creek Community Hall at 31528 Highway 72.

Meals were available for takeout with turkey, mashed potatoes, stuffing, rolls, cranberry sauce and pie. Due to a sharp increase of COVID-19 cases in the area, the Board decided to return to a drive through service for Thanksgiving this year. The safety of the neighbors was a top priority as they celebrated what they were thankful for this year.

Those attending could sign up so organizers could plan food and pickups. Ashley Roberts, who lives in Coal Creek Canyon, coordinated the event and has been working on the dinners for six years. She said they had 15 volunteers work on the event, and the food was provided with donations from United Power, businesses and individual donations.

They had 77 people register for the free turkeys, and they cooked six turkeys for the event. Gene Shatek worked on carving the turkeys, and said he has been involved with the dinners for five years.

Other volunteers, including Shelly Peters, took dinner requests from the drive through and served the dinners.

Coal Creek Canyon was thankful this Thanksgiving for its community of neighbors and for the generous spirit that they share. For more information, go to https://www.coalcreekcanyon.org/.