Serving the Big Horn Basin for over 100 years
Serving the Big Horn Basin for over 100 years
A meal of turkey, ham, potatoes and gravy and all the usual fixings is planned for Thanksgiving, Nov. 28 from 11 a.m. to 2 p.m. in the back gym at the Worland Community Center.
“Many people are alone on Thanksgiving; maybe they couldn’t travel to be with family, maybe they don’t have families, whatever the reason. I’ve also talked with multiple people, for example an elderly couple who stated, ‘It’s just us, we don’t want to make a big meal, and there’s no restaurants open.’ The thought was that there’s a need in our community, so let’s go ahead and fill it,” said Amber Tibbits.
The event is open to the public; sign-up sheets are available at the community center’s office and the Worland Senior Center. Signing up will assist volunteers in knowing how much food to prepare, but those who haven’t signed up are equally encouraged to come and celebrate. A limited number of to-go meals will be available by request. For any questions about the event, call Tibbits at 626-488-1567.
Tibbits, a Worland resident representing the faith-based community in Worland, said, “I used to help at a church in Southern California. They would do a similar event every year and would serve upwards of 3,000 people each Thanksgiving. It was a larger city, of course … They would open up their church doors for the Thanksgiving meal for about four hours. My mom and I would help each year; she is disabled, but she would help other ladies with cutting and dishing up the pies. I would drive a small bus and pick up homeless people at the local parks, or just people who didn’t have rides to the church. So yeah, there’s definitely a need for a meal like this in our community too, helping people in our town, just so they know that they’re not forgotten or looked over.”
She added, “Jesus said that when you give a cup of water or some food to someone who’s needy, or to visit them in solitude, then you’ve done such a thing to him. So as believers in Jesus, we honor his name by helping our neighbors and sharing his love with them.”
The event is being put on by volunteers representing Worland’s faith-based community, described by Tibbits as, “Myself and a number of other lay people from different Bible-based churches in town. We have people from Zion Church, from Mount Calvary, Victory Christian, and some folks from the Methodist Church … And I’m still talking with people who are interested in either donating funds or giving up their time to help cook or work the day of Thanksgiving. So, it’s quite a lot of people just saying, ‘Yes, I’ll, sacrifice the time. I’ll do this for my neighbor.’ It’s very much a grassroots effort.”
Tibbits added that the space in the back gym was provided for free by the Worland Community Center, and the WCCC has allowed volunteers use of their kitchen for the event.
Regarding what visitors can expect in addition to food and company, saying, “Part of the time there will be an open mic for people to come up and share what they’re thankful for. I think thankfulness is something that we often miss in life. There’s lots of things going on, and yet, if we highlight the things that we’re thankful for, we see how God has blessed our lives, and not necessarily all the bad things that are going on. We’re also going to be playing a video on how the holiday of Thanksgiving got started in our country. It’s kind of a neat history … there’s going to be a timeline talking about how the holiday of Thanksgiving became a formal holiday and changed over time. For the kids, we’re going to have Charlie Brown Thanksgiving playing, and we’ll have coloring pages themed around Thanksgiving.”
“We’re hoping for a good turnout, being it’s the first year. We don’t know how many people will show up, but we’re confident in who God brings, and just hoping that they receive a blessing from that. I hope to let people in our community know that every person is valuable. Jesus cares for them and loves them, and he uses people in his church to communicate his love tangibly to them, like providing a meal on Thanksgiving, providing a listening ear for someone who maybe is going through some tough times, whatever the case may be, just to know that they’re not alone,” said Tibbits.