KINGMAN – The meals could’ve been the only bites to eat some people had Thanksgiving Day.
Charity, gratitude and volunteers helped make a chilly autumn holiday a few degrees warmer.
At least two organizations/businesses contributed to feeding the hungry, lonely or anyone who needed a bite to eat.
John Kirby, working with the Kingman Regional Medical Center Foundation, and the KRMC kitchen staff prepared 198 pre-cooked and prepackaged meals for an assortment of residents and families in the Kingman area including Golden Valley and Dolan Springs. More than 70 volunteers consisting of individuals, couples and families carted as many meals as they could to deliver.
Many volunteers were carting four to five meals at a time. Given sheets of paper with addresses and numbers of meals requested for the delivery site, they were off to their cars and the missions was a ‘GO!’
“We had around 90 addresses to deliver to,” Kirby said. “People got two or three addresses to go to and that helped everything get taken care of.”
There were at least 20 people in line at 10:30 a.m. when the meals were being wheeled out from the KRMC kitchen for delivery. By 11 a.m. the food was on the way their destinations.
Kirby (with five of his family members helping) got involved in 2010 as a board for the Senior Site Council with Western Arizona Council of Governments (WACOG).
“I realized that some folks weren’t getting a hot meal for the holidays,” he said.
After years of work and dedication, Kirby continues to see the community come together.
“The warm and fuzzy feeling is watching the families come out and help,” he said. “Seeing kids getting together and thinking about volunteerism is even better.”
More food was being served on the other side of town.
Rutherford’s 66 Family Diner had enough food to treat more than 200 free Thanksgiving dinners. The diner had almost a full staff on hand, 12 decent size turkeys and an assortment of other traditional holiday culinary fares.
Owner Tammy Garret-Rutherford, her husband and co-owner, Brent, and her crew began serving at 11 a.m. as part of a five-year tradition.
“There was already a line out the door at that point,” she said. “We’re serving until 3 p.m. or until the food runs out.”
The customers were gracious and the plates on their tables were either clean or the leftovers being moved to a to-go box.
“This is absolutely thoughtful,” said Josie Zinna, of Kingman, who was having an early dinner with her fiancé, Bill Mattison from Lake Havasu City. Zinna is from New York and was excitedly amazed by the hospitality of Arizona.
The diner served their regular menu at full price but served the turkey dinners for free until 3:30 p.m. They had leftovers to give away.
“We stopped serving so the staff could go home and spend time with their families,” Rutherford said.
Aaron Ricca