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Nearly 1,500 people fed dinner during Thanksgiving
By PETER BAUMANN
Boomerang Staff Writer
Turkey? Check. Pies? Check. Fixings and trimmings? Double check. Nearly 1,500 hungry people ready for a good meal? Definitely check.
While many Laramie residents spent Thanksgiving quietly at their homes, WyoTech and the Eppson Center for Seniors both brought in hundreds of people for a good Thanksgiving meal — WyoTech had more than 1,100 students and families sign up for this year’s dinner, while the Eppson Center’s Thanksgiving meal brought in more than 300 Thursday.
At WyoTech, students and their families staying in Laramie were treated to a Thanksgiving dinner that was traditional in every sense but one — size.
“We made 100 turkeys and 80 hams this year,” director of education Mario Ibarra said. “When we started in 1992, that first year, we had 22 students, and I cooked everything myself. Now, we need three caterers to cook it all.”
Many students at WyoTech stay in Laramie for Thanksgiving every year because attendance is very important to the program, so often their families come thousands of miles to meet them and have a Thanksgiving dinner nestled among semi-trucks and diesel engines at the West Laramie campus.
“I just talked to some parents from Osborne, Kan.,” Ibarra said. “They drove here rather than have their son come home. Our attendance is just so important to our students; some of them are afraid that if they drive home and something happens weather-wise, they won’t make it back and lose their perfect attendance record. For us, this is a way to give back to our students, but it’s also a way to make sure that they’re here for class Monday morning.”
WyoTech is also providing entertainment for students over the Thanksgiving weekend, with a private screening of Transporter 3 scheduled for tonight followed by the opportunity to go to a car show in Denver on Saturday and Sunday.
Kyle Morris, director of student services, said it’s important for WyoTech to provide opportunities like these for the students to feel welcome and connected to the community.
“We want our students to feel like they belong in the community,” Morris added. “For the students who don’t have an opportunity to go home and spend time with their families, we want them to be able to spend time with their WyoTech family.”
Across town, the Eppson Center was also busy filling hungry people up with tasty turkey and all the fixings. Coordinator Carol Hafele said this year’s dinner was much bigger than last year’s.
“We’ve definitely had more people this year,” Hafele, who has been with the Thanksgiving meal for 11 years, said. “We had been cooking 10 turkeys every year, but this time, we made 12.”
Along with feeding approximately 300 people at the Eppson Center, Hafele explained that they also provide nearly 100 meals for people around the community.
“We put posters around to let people know it’s going to happen every year,” Hafele said. “The best part is seeing people satisfied.”
The Eppson Center Thanksgiving meal started 11 years ago after it moved from St. Laurence O’Toole Catholic Church, growing from four volunteers putting it together in 10 days that year to this year’s sprawling, 12-turkey operation with dozens of volunteers.
Although 11 years’ experience hasn’t made the event any less work for Hafele, she said that it’s important for Laramie to recognize the need for a Thanksgiving meal for the public.
“There are people here who need it,” Hafele said. “A lot of people come in today because they have no family with them. A lot of people can’t afford to go out to eat, and we serve great food every year here. And we like to see them here every year.”
Peter Baumann’s e-mail address is lbedit9@laramieboomerang.com
While many Laramie residents spent Thanksgiving quietly at their homes, WyoTech and the Eppson Center for Seniors both brought in hundreds of people for a good Thanksgiving meal — WyoTech had more than 1,100 students and families sign up for this year’s dinner, while the Eppson Center’s Thanksgiving meal brought in more than 300 Thursday.
At WyoTech, students and their families staying in Laramie were treated to a Thanksgiving dinner that was traditional in every sense but one — size.
“We made 100 turkeys and 80 hams this year,” director of education Mario Ibarra said. “When we started in 1992, that first year, we had 22 students, and I cooked everything myself. Now, we need three caterers to cook it all.”
Many students at WyoTech stay in Laramie for Thanksgiving every year because attendance is very important to the program, so often their families come thousands of miles to meet them and have a Thanksgiving dinner nestled among semi-trucks and diesel engines at the West Laramie campus.
“I just talked to some parents from Osborne, Kan.,” Ibarra said. “They drove here rather than have their son come home. Our attendance is just so important to our students; some of them are afraid that if they drive home and something happens weather-wise, they won’t make it back and lose their perfect attendance record. For us, this is a way to give back to our students, but it’s also a way to make sure that they’re here for class Monday morning.”
WyoTech is also providing entertainment for students over the Thanksgiving weekend, with a private screening of Transporter 3 scheduled for tonight followed by the opportunity to go to a car show in Denver on Saturday and Sunday.
Kyle Morris, director of student services, said it’s important for WyoTech to provide opportunities like these for the students to feel welcome and connected to the community.
“We want our students to feel like they belong in the community,” Morris added. “For the students who don’t have an opportunity to go home and spend time with their families, we want them to be able to spend time with their WyoTech family.”
Across town, the Eppson Center was also busy filling hungry people up with tasty turkey and all the fixings. Coordinator Carol Hafele said this year’s dinner was much bigger than last year’s.
“We’ve definitely had more people this year,” Hafele, who has been with the Thanksgiving meal for 11 years, said. “We had been cooking 10 turkeys every year, but this time, we made 12.”
Along with feeding approximately 300 people at the Eppson Center, Hafele explained that they also provide nearly 100 meals for people around the community.
“We put posters around to let people know it’s going to happen every year,” Hafele said. “The best part is seeing people satisfied.”
The Eppson Center Thanksgiving meal started 11 years ago after it moved from St. Laurence O’Toole Catholic Church, growing from four volunteers putting it together in 10 days that year to this year’s sprawling, 12-turkey operation with dozens of volunteers.
Although 11 years’ experience hasn’t made the event any less work for Hafele, she said that it’s important for Laramie to recognize the need for a Thanksgiving meal for the public.
“There are people here who need it,” Hafele said. “A lot of people come in today because they have no family with them. A lot of people can’t afford to go out to eat, and we serve great food every year here. And we like to see them here every year.”
Peter Baumann’s e-mail address is lbedit9@laramieboomerang.com
