ALAMOSA — On Thanksgiving Day, La Puente in Alamosa opened its doors for a large community dinner. According to Lance Cheslock, Executive Director of La Puente, over 200 attended the gathering, and 75 meals were delivered to unhoused individuals. 

"I just call this magical. We have community volunteers, some of our donors, and neighborhood people who want the company. This is about community, company, and fellowship. The cross section of people who are here is one of the more diverse groups of people. Everybody celebrates and gets to know each other. This is just a beautiful feeling and tradition. The food parachutes in; we thought we might be short on pies, and 17 pies just showed up. It was just magical, and we are doing really well," said Cheslock, who added the dinner has been an annual event since 1991. 

“Everyone was welcome to join in for a delicious holiday meal, musical entertainment, and a place to celebrate the holidays. The meal included turkey, mashed potatoes, stuffing, casseroles, and pies prepared and donated by members of the community. The spirit of the gathering was one of gratitude, and all were encouraged to bring a neighbor, a friend, or even a stranger; there was always room at the table." 

In addition to the dinner at La Puente, leading up to Thanksgiving Day, the Food Bank Network of the San Luis Valley gave out 800 Thanksgiving boxes filled with a whole frozen turkey, stuffing, canned pumpkin pie filling, a variety of canned goods, and fresh carrots, potatoes, and onions. While 300 of the Thanksgiving boxes were allotted to Alamosa, the other 500 were distributed from the Network's outlying pantries across all six counties of the San Luis Valley. 

Over 60 community volunteers pitched in. This year, the oldest volunteer was in their late seventies, and the youngest volunteer was three. 

Nearly one-third of the volunteers were kids and youth, ranging from preschoolers to high schoolers. Many shared that this was not their first year helping with the Thanksgiving distribution, which was exemplified in the way even the little ones expertly took their place along the assembly line, settled into their assigned role, and ensured that every Thanksgiving box got its share of green beans and cranberry sauce. 

To donate to La Puente, visit www.lapuentehome.org.