MV Senior Center Serves Up Thanksgiving Feast

By VERNON ROBISON

The Progress

The Overton Senior Center was open and buzzing with activity on Thursday, Nov. 25: Thanksgiving Day. The staff was busy in preparing an old fashioned Thanksgiving dinner for local seniors.

A total of 132 meals were prepared for lunch that day. Only 59 of them were served in the large cafeteria room at the Senior Center, though. Seventy-three were packed up as take-out meals for those who preferred to eat at home, and also to recipients of the Meals on Wheels program at the Senior Center.

“We had a much lower turnout in the cafeteria than usual,” said Overton Senior Center Director Cindy Marino. “But with COVID it has been an uncertain time and a lot of our people are just exercising caution and staying home.”

Marino said that Senior Center Chef Raegan Whited had begun to prepare much of the meal on the day before. Then she showed up at the center at 4:30 am to get the full Thanksgiving feast prepared.
It included plenty of roast turkey, stuffing, mashed potatoes, gravy, cranberries, sweet potatoes, pumpkin pie and more.

Also there to help move people through the lunchtime rush were Senior Center part-time staffers Angie Chandler and Mikaila Tafoya.

Local residents Don and Carol Vick were enjoying their Thanksgiving Dinner in the Senior Center cafeteria on Thursday. They expressed appreciation for all the work that Senior Center staff had put in to make it possible.

The Vicks have been snowbirds to Overton from Salmon, Idaho for 17 years. But this year they made the Moapa Valley their permanent home.

When asked what she was grateful for this year, Carol mentioned the relative health of the two of them. “We have had a few struggles with health earlier this year,” she said. “But we are healthy now, and COVID-free. And our family is safe and healthy. So that is something to be grateful for.”

Sharon Aellig, a snowbird from Ely, spends part of her winters up on “Snowbird Mesa” just south of Overton. Thanksgiving Day found her in the Senior Center cafeteria also enjoying the delicious feast.
“I am just thankful for everything,” Aellig said. “Even the windy weather we had yesterday. It blew pretty hard up there on the mesa.”

Marino said that she was grateful to be able to work each day with local seniors.
“It is such a wonderful job to work with these amazing people,” Marino said. “It is so touching and such a joy, just to see the smiles on their faces. I don’t think that you could find a more rewarding job.”

Marino said that the Senior Center would be serving Christmas dinner on Christmas Eve this year, Friday, Dec. 24.

The center will also be sponsoring field trips for seniors during the holiday season including a trip to the Ethyl M. Chocolate factory and the Christmas Lights display in Las Vegas. For more information visit the Center or call 702-397-8002.