For some, Thanksgiving tradition means feeding others

IOWA CITY — For many, Thanksgiving is the time of the year to reunite at home with distant family members and sit down for a traditional meal of turkey, mashed potatoes and stuffing.

But while Thanksgiving means a jovial occasion for many in the Iowa City area, there are some who don't have a home to go to, family members to catch up with or a meal to enjoy.

That's why some make it their Thanksgiving tradition to provide those people with a warm meal and a sense of togetherness.

Coralville Mayor John Lundell, as a member of the Coralville Optimist Club, said he — and most of those in his immediate family — have been serving Thanksgiving and Christmas meals at the Iowa City Senior Center since 1980.

'One of the reasons it's so enjoyable for us, as servers, is many of the people we're serving, their families are out of state, we're sort of the pseudo-family for those people on that day,' Lundell said. 'And that makes me feel really good that we can socialize and make it a little more like the holidays for them.'

The Optimist Club serves holiday meals at the center, 28 S. Linn St., and through the Meals on Wheels program to give volunteers with Elder Services those days off.

Thursday's meal had all the usual Thanksgiving staples, including turkey, mashed potatoes, dressing and pumpkin pie.

Not far away, at St. Mary of the Visitation Catholic Church, 302 E. Jefferson St., Sister Anges Giblin was also serving a Thanksgiving meal.

Giblin said the church has been serving up Thanksgiving dinner for at least 25 years and serves upward of 150 people that day, and also delivers meals to those who cannot attend.

Standard amenities like turkey, stuffing and pies were provided, but Giblin said the meal is like a potluck, so all offerings are welcome.

'We provide the basics, but if anybody would like to bring something, we never refuse,' she said.

While the meal is served at the church, Giblin said the event is open to everyone.

'They're not all from our parish, they're from all over and they come back every year,' she said. 'You can't say it's one type of people, it's just a real experience of church.'