Dear Editor,
Every year for the last 15 years, when someone would ask where I would be for Thanksgiving, I would tell them I was having dinner with hundreds of friends I had never met before! I was a volunteer at the WabiSabi Thanksgiving dinner (I may have missed one year). It was a wonderful way to celebrate and I will miss it this year.
I did not wash dishes, peel potatoes, serve meals or clean tables. I sat at the sign-in table greeting people and encouraging donations. One wonderful volunteer made sure I always had a glass of water because I talked to every guest. Everything else, the REAL work, was done by dozens and dozens of volunteers from all over the country (the only thing missing were the politicians). And the food was very good too!
People of all ages, from school children who made decorations to seniors who served food, gave of their time to make Thanksgiving special. It truly was a community dinner! And the guests, they came from all over the country and from many foreign countries too! One homeless man offered to donate three cents, that was all he had. The next couple donated over $100. They had spent the night at the most expensive hotel in Moab and when they asked where the best place to have dinner was, they were told to go to the WabiSabi dinner, and so they did.
I can’t volunteer this year, but I give thanks for the hundreds of volunteers I shared Thanksgiving with these last 15 years. I give thanks for all the volunteers who are making this year’s Thanksgiving special. Thank you to WabiSabi, Sweet Cravings Bakery, and the Synergy Company for providing funding for this year’s meal.
Thank you!
Sue Allemand
Moab
