GOBBLE GALLERY: See photos of the Community Thanksgiving Dinner

This past Thanksgiving saw hundreds of area residents gather together for a day of gratitude and feasting as a community, thanks to the efforts of the Pahrump Holiday Task Force and its Community Thanksgiving Dinner.

Hosted on Thursday, Nov. 23, the Community Thanksgiving Dinner offered individuals and families the chance to partake of a completely free, traditional holiday spread of turkey with the trimmings and once again, the event was hailed as a triumph.

“The Community Thanksgiving Dinner was an overwhelming success. We couldn’t have asked for a more beautiful fall day,” task force chair Linda Wright raved after all was said and done. “The Pahrump community did not disappoint us! Our tables were full of people enjoying their Thanksgiving meal with us and they continued to come right up until 2 p.m. Everyone was saying how nice the decorations were and how good the meal tasted, with many compliments for the kitchen staff for the wonderful food. We served 810 meals!”

As with any event of this magnitude, it took a battalion of volunteers to ensure everything ran smoothly and Wright said she was very proud of this year’s helping hands.

“We can never say enough about the amazing volunteers we had. There were over 70 volunteers at the event doing things like serving, pouring drinks, manning the kitchen, performing parking lot security duty and cleaning up. We’d like to thank everyone who helped us make this Community Thanksgiving Dinner a success. We can’t do what we do without our volunteers and we love our Pahrump community,” Wright said.

Sponsoring this year’s Thanksgiving gathering were Valley Electric Association, Dolan Ranch, Saddle West, Living Free, Mr. Tater’s Tater Shack, the Nye County Sheriff’s Office, Kiwanis Club, Nathan Adelson Hospice, NyE Communities Coalition, Brian Briggs and Patrick Nary.

Wright took a moment to spotlight some of the key players over the years as well, stating, “The Pahrump Holiday Task Force would like to extend our gratitude those who have been our community partners for several years, including VEA, Saddle West, Channel 25, NyECC, Joe’s Sanitation and the Pahrump Valley Times. We thank you for being a partner with us.”

Community Christmas Dinner in the works

Thanksgiving may be over now but the Pahrump Holiday Task Force has no time to relax, with its next big event, the Community Christmas Dinner, less than a month away.

“Remember, this is a sit-down dinner for everyone to get to know their neighbors, and we’ll be holding it the Saturday before Christmas, on Dec. 23,” Wright explained. “We will be having entertainment by Johnny V and a special appearance by Santa Claus.”

Another major aspect of the Community Christmas Dinner will be the Coat Room, where attendees will be able to browse through an assortment of jackets, sweaters, coats, blankets and hats to help keep warm over the winter months.

“The Pahrump Holiday Task Force and the Salvation Army are joining together for this year’s coat drive for our Coat Room so please, if anyone has jackets or coats or other warm items, consider donating them,” Wright encouraged. “We have donation boxes at several locations around town, including VEA, Optimum Therapy, American First National Bank, the Salvation Army and Saddle West. Thank you to everyone in advance for donating!”

For more information on the upcoming event, to donate or to get involved email PahrumpHolidayTaskForce@gmail.com

Contact reporter Robin Hebrock at rhebrock@pvtimes.com