HARKER HEIGHTS, Texas — With families taking every precaution to stay safe, some will not have the opportunity to go to a Thanksgiving dinner this year. Others don't have the means to. That's why Carolyn Brown at the Harker Heights Event Center held a free Thanksgiving dinner at the center Sunday evening.
Several dozen volunteers worked to bring in 400 pounds of food to feed up to 200 people.
"We know we can get what (food) we get, but not everybody can. So it's our job to pitch in," Volunteer Phyllis Jones said. "It's time for us to step and do our part."
Volunteers organized the center to keep tables far more than 6 feet apart, take temperatures at the door, and make sure they had masks and wore gloves to give out food.
Many families didn't have another event they had planned to go to, so the event was a welcome opportunity.
"It was something still kind of normal with the situation that is going on," Killeen mother Tasha Chambers said. "We had nothing planned, nothing to do. We are trying to keep the kids active and busy so it was nice. It's very important because there is not a lot of things the community is doing to keep us together."
"It felt good to get out of the house and just mingle and meet new people," local mother Yolanda Steward said. "Wasn't expecting it, but I did enjoy myself... it was a really great way to get out of the house and spend your Sunday evening."
Families also received care packages as the left the event. Jones said they were glad to help families out with dinner, but maintaining a human connection during the COVID-19 pandemic was just as important.
"We're human. We are used to bonding. Even if you have to bond from six feet away we are still bonding. That's very important," Jones said. "It helps you remember there is a world out there. You are not just by yourself."
