As Thanksgiving draws near, Marley Holte is worried that he may
not have enough volunteers to help serve at Holte’s Holiday Dinner
on Thanksgiving.
As Thanksgiving draws near, San Juan Bautista resident Marley Holte is worried that he may not have enough volunteers to help serve at Holte’s Holiday Dinner on Thanksgiving.
“The birds are coming along,” said Holte, who has served Thanksgiving dinners for 17 years and Christmas feasts for 18. “We’re well on our way, but we really need help with serving and we need volunteers to help with the prep work the night before.”
Holte relies on donations and volunteers. “I can’t do it without them,” he said.
When Holte began the annual dinners, there were 20 volunteers to serve about 250 people. Last year he said at least 100 volunteers showed up – without scheduling their time, causing some confusion.
“They need to call well in advance to sign up,” Holte said.
Volunteers served about 450 Thanksgiving dinners last year and 880 on Christmas. A record 1,083 dinners were served on Christmas 1999.
With the economy in its current state, Holte is expecting to feed more people this year.
“We want to be prepared,” he said.
Thanksgiving dinner will be served from 11:30 a.m. to 2 p.m. at the O’Reilly Youth Center at Sacred Heart School, 680 College St. Carry-out dinners will be available and the home-bound can call ahead for delivery.
Cash donations should be mailed to P.O. Box 1387, San Juan Bautista, CA 95023. To donate food or other supplies, call Holte at 623-4313.
Volunteers should call Pat Richardson at 637-0566.
