A community tradition for decades brings joy to hundreds
Members of the Devils Lake Kiwanis Club for decades have given up their Thanksgiving holiday at home with family to help feed their community.
It began years ago when a local restaurant owner noticed there was nowhere in the town for people to go out to eat on Thanksgiving Day, everything was closed. So she opened her heart and her tiny restaurant, The Home Cafe, located below what is now Nellie’s Bar on 4th Ave. and 3rd Street.
What a success it was! So much so, that soon the little cafe was too small and the owner’s resources not equal to the challenge of feeding the many who came. So the local Kiwanis club stepped up to help out and through the ensuing years have fed thousands a hearty traditional Thanksgiving dinner in various locations, recently at the Devils Lake Senior Center and most recently at the K.C. Hall.
They added home delivered meals to the congregate dining-in-person meals, serving maybe as many as nearly 350 people (or more!) each Thanksgiving a hearty meal of turkey, mashed potatoes, gravy, stuffing, vegetable, salad, roll and home made pieces of pie with topping. There will be no back door meal pick up this year, only home delivery, in-person dining or take out. It’s your choice.
A free will donation is asked of those who are able to pay, but no one is turned away. Often entire families will come to eat together and it is perfect for single folks who have few or no relatives in the area. Most of the items served are donated by Kiwanis Club members, including the turkeys and pie!
If you want to participate this year, it’s not too late to sign up for a home-delivered meal, and meals are available to be picked up at the KC’s if you call ahead and even if you are thinking of coming in person and eating there, they appreciate a phone call letting them know how many meals you need and who is going to be taking them home to eat, or staying to eat there.
The number to call if you want a delivered meal, to pick up a meal or to eat in the dining room is 351-7285 please call as soon as you can, so they have an idea who is coming.
Lisa Crosby is the current president of the Devils Lake Kiwanis club and she is proud of the hard-working, generous members who make up this club, a club that is the very definition of “community service.” She asks if anyone has an extra pie they would be able to donate, that would help. Cash is also a good idea for your donation to help this year as the prices of everything have skyrocketed.
At the KC Hall on Thanksgiving the home delivered meals will start to go out at about 10 a.m., so if you and your family would like to help deliver, be sure to be at the KC Hall no later than 9:30 a.m. Congregate, in person dining and take out meals will start at about 11:30 a.m., or once the list who need them delivered is taken care of. Volunteers are always welcome to help serving the meals, cleaning up and resetting the table spaces or doing dishes in the kitchen. There are many ways you can give or help this very worthwhile endeavor.
