Marley Holte had 75 pumpkin pies for Thanksgiving dinner.
Hollister – Marley Holte had 75 pumpkin pies for Thanksgiving dinner.
And when he sat down to eat, he was joined by more than 200 friends, family members and strangers.
Holte, 79, was joined by more than 70 volunteers clad in crisp white aprons who filled the Sacred Heart School’s gymnasium Thanksgiving afternoon in order to carve smoked turkey or serve piping hot rolls to all those attending Marley Holte’s 18th Annual Thanksgiving Dinner.
Regardless of why they came, they all left with one thing in common.
“Everyone who comes here, whether to eat or to work, leaves here with a smile on their face,” Holte said.
Holte heads the Marley Holte’s Community Assistance Program and provides free dinners on Thanksgiving and Christmas. He started the Christmas dinners 20 years ago when he and his wife decided to feed the needy instead of buying gifts for each other, he said. Three years later they started doing Thanksgiving dinners as well and both meals have since become a Hollister tradition.
“I get more credit than I deserve,” Holte said. “The volunteers make it run. More than me, it’s the program that has established itself.”
The program has become so entrenched in Hollister’s holiday traditions that Holte didn’t even have to recruit volunteers this year to serve 24 turkeys, 20 cans of cranberries and 75 pumpkin pies to his guests. Community members and local businesses donated the food.
“People automatically show up,” he said. “They don’t call, they just come and work.”
For 15-year-old Jerica Noble, helping out Holte and those less fortunate on Thanksgiving is as traditional as eating pumpkin pie.
“It’s a family tradition, we get up every year at 6am and come down here,” she said. “It’s about people and people always need a helping hand.”
Noble plans to carry on the tradition for many years to come, she said.
For the last nine years, Eric Johnson, superintendent of Southside School District, has been coming to carve the turkey.
“It’s a nice thing to do and Marley is a wonderful guy, so anything I can do to help,” he said. “I’ll be coming here as long as he needs me.”
Although volunteers were plentiful, about 100 fewer people came to eat with Holte this year compared to last year. Holte isn’t worried about the drop in attendance, but wished more people would take advantage of the good food and holiday cheer.
“I guess it’s a good thing,” he said. “It means people don’t need us as much, but we’re still here every year.”
Holte, who was recently recognized by the Hollister Youth Alliance for his dedication to community service, hopes his Holiday Dinners will become his legacy.
“I hope that it continues on after I’m gone,” he said. “It’s been well established and help comes in from all over.”
At the end of the day, as guests began leaving with armloads of food, Holte was thankful for two things:
“I’m thankful that I’m here and that everyone else is here and wants to be a part of this,” he said.
Holte’s Christmas dinner will be held at Sacred Heart School’s gymnasium Christmas day and anyone is welcome to attend or volunteer.
Brett Rowland covers education for the Free Lance. He can be reached at 831-637-5566 ext. 330 or [email protected].
