Congregate Meals celebrate Thanksgiving with packed house

SIDNEY -- A total of 113 Thanksgiving meals were served by Congregate Meals November 20.

The room was packed as conversation warmed the room in anticipation of the holiday lunch. The plates of cranberry, sweet potatoes, and the rest of the holiday plate complimented the crowded room of conversation among friends and neighbors. Congregate Meals coordinator Judy Schaefer said the  holiday dinners usually have higher attendance.

"Inside for Congregate Meals, 64 showed up. We served 41 at home, and eight people came and picked them up. That's a little high. Thanksgiving and Christmas are our highest, and Mothers Day," she said.

The Congregate Meal included snacks before the meal and gift cards were given out afterward.

Congregate Meals meets at the Cheyenne County Community Center. All of the food is homemade and cooked at the Community Center. The program is run by a combination of volunteers and paid staff.

"The cooks are paid, and I'm paid. The drivers are volunteer," Schaefer said.

To take part in the Congregate Meals, a person has to be 60 years or older. Congregate Meals asks participants for a donation, $5.50 per person inside and $6 delivery.

"The Sidney people are amazing about paying, We never have had an issue about them," she said.

To schedule a meal delivery, call 308-254-4835 by 9:30 a.m.

The Christmas meal is roast beef and planned for December 18, she said.