Annual Holte Holiday Dinners kick off with Thanksgiving meal at
Sacred Heart School O’Reilly Hall
During the holidays, spending time and sharing a meal with
friends can brighten a person’s life. In Hollister, over the past
quarter-century, one of the best examples of the spirit of the
season has been on display during the Marley Holte Holiday
Dinners.
Annual Holte Holiday Dinners kick off with Thanksgiving meal at Sacred Heart School O’Reilly Hall
During the holidays, spending time and sharing a meal with friends can brighten a person’s life. In Hollister, over the past quarter-century, one of the best examples of the spirit of the season has been on display during the Marley Holte Holiday Dinners.
On Thanksgiving and Christmas day, more than 100 volunteers cook for and serve hearty meals to locals who either need a place to eat, want to spend time in the company of others or just want to share food and conversation.
“It’s open to anybody,” said longtime Holte Dinner volunteer and organizer, Larry Brown. “Anybody who wants to come down and have turkey dinner with their friends and make some new friends is welcome.”
Nearly 350 people partook in the free meal last year at Sacred Heart School’s O’Reilly Hall and more are expected this year, said Brown.
“The people genuinely love it,” he added. “One guy last year said, ‘I just lost my job and this is our Thanksgiving,’ so we knew we were doing something right.”
Guests receive a turkey dinner with all the fixings, including gravy and mashed potatoes. The food is donated and volunteers do the prep work, beginning at 5 p.m. the night before each event. Mansmith’s Barbecue starts cooking the turkeys at 6 a.m. and the birds are ready to carve and serve by 10 a.m. The dinners are served between 11 a.m. and 1 p.m.
The Holte Holiday Dinners date back to 1985, when longtime educator, businessman and politician Marley Holte and his wife decided one holiday season to pool their money and feed the needy instead of buying gifts for each other. The Marley Holte Community Assistance Program started off by providing meals around Christmas time and later expanded to include Thanksgiving.
Both annual events are entirely funded by donations and supported by the work of volunteers, many of whom work in remembrance of the beloved Holte, who passed away in 2006 at the age of 80.
“A friend of mine asked me to come down and help one year, and I’ve been going there every year since,” said Brown, who welcomes more volunteer help. “Anybody that wants to help is welcome to do so.”
In addition to donations of manpower, cash donations are preferred to food donations as that provides organizers more flexibility to provide the necessary meals.
“Just helping people, the camaraderie, the rush; I enjoy volunteer work,” Brown said.
Some guests come dressed in their Sunday finest while others wear T-shirts and shorts to the dinners, organizers said. Holiday music is played while meals are served.
While turkey is a staple at both the Thanksgiving and Christmas meals, tri-tip is added to the menu for the December meal.
“If you want to help out your community, come on down,” said Brown, who encourages anyone interesting in participating or donating to call him at 637-9037.
