<\/p>\n
The dining hall in St. Barnabas Episcopal Church in Cortez was noisy with cheerful conversation at 11:30 a.m. on Thursday.<\/p>\n
Hundreds of people crowded into the church for the annual community Thanksgiving dinner. Volunteers served 22 turkeys, 51 pies, 21 dozen rolls and plenty of side dishes, all provided by donations. It was just enough for the Montezuma County residents who came through the hall during the noon hour.<\/p>\n
Sylvia Clahchischilli, a member of St. Barnabas, came to get Thanksgiving dinner after spending the morning delivering meals to people in the county who weren\u2019t able to drive into Cortez.<\/p>\n
\u201cI really believe that the good news is not just verbal,\u201d Clahchischilli said. \u201cIt\u2019s about getting to the very basics of people\u2019s needs, and that\u2019s hunger. People need to eat, need a roof over their heads.\u201d<\/p>\n
Volunteers delivered about 35 meals, and served more than 200 at the church. Leigh Waggoner, pastor of St. Barnabas, said she had more jobs for volunteers this year because the church organized the meal differently than usual, but she still had to turn some would-be helpers away.<\/p>\n
\u201cI got a phone message at 5:45 this morning from somebody: \u2018I can\u2019t go back to sleep \u2013 is there anything I can do?\u2019\u201d she said.<\/p>\n
Many of the volunteers were from the St. Barnabas congregation, and some regularly serve at Grace\u2019s Soup Kitchen, which operates out of the church. But some came from other churches and charities around the county, or just signed up on their own.<\/p>\n
\u201cAll these people here are representative of the community,\u201d Victoria Atkins, one of the kitchen volunteers, said.<\/p>\n
She also thanked the many people who had donated food and money for the event.<\/p>\n
Earlier in the day, more than 100 people had gathered in Parque De Vida with their dogs for the For Pets Sake humane society\u2019s annual Turkey Trot. Humans and pets were decked out in turkey or pilgrim costumes for the 1-kilometer race around the park. About 15 local businesses pitched in to pay for the T-shirts and prizes handed out to the runners, and proceeds from the registration fees went to support For Pets Sake.<\/p>\n
\u201cThis is a great fundraiser for us, but it\u2019s also a family tradition for many people,\u201d the race announcer, Kathy Hennek, said. \u201cWe get you home in time for the holiday meal, and you get to burn off a few calories before getting stuffed.\u201d<\/p>\n
The 2016 Turkey Trot raised almost $4,000 for the humane society, and board member Marian Rohman said she expected a similar this year.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"
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