Hundreds of holidays meals handed out in Pahrump this Christmas

“The Pahrump Holiday Task Force must have been on Santa’s good list this year, as their wishes came true for the wonderful and beautiful Christmas Eve day that was had in Pahrump!”

That was the enthusiastic statement offered by Pahrump Holiday Task Force Chair Linda Wright following what was declared to be a fantastically successful event, the Community Christmas Curbside Dinner.

“Those wishes were also for a great turnout for the Christmas Curbside Dinner pickup,” Wright said. “It all came true at 10 a.m. at the NyE Communities Coalition parking area, when cars started lining up to receive their meals and see Santa.”

Hosted on Christmas Eve, Thursday, Dec. 24, the Community Christmas Curbside Dinner offered area residents the chance to head out to the coalition campus to pick up freshly prepared, pre-packaged holiday meals, all free of charge. It was the continuation of what has become a beloved tradition in the Pahrump Valley and although things were quite a bit different this year that in years past, with the COVID-19 pandemic’s restrictions barring a large public gathering, Wright noted that when all was said and done, the event had turned out wonderfully.

“The Pahrump Holiday Task Force Committee and volunteers prepared 800 meals for the Christmas Curbside Pickup. The volunteers gave out knitted scarves and hats. Santa handed out candy canes and talked to the children,” Wright detailed.

“We had 23 volunteers, the Nye County Sheriff’s Auxiliary, Nye County Commissioner Leo Blundo and Santa Claus, all the way from the North Pole. Our wonderful volunteers in the kitchen and outside greeting the cars, passing out the meals, and handing out knitted scarves and hats did a wonderful, wonderful job. We can’t thank the volunteers enough!” Wright continued. “We had all ages volunteering. Our youngest was two years old, helping her dad, saying, ‘Merry Christmas!’ It was so cute. It takes a team to put this event on and we have a great team. Thank you, thank you, thank you!”

Volunteers were of course the backbone of the effort to bring free holiday meals to the community on Christmas Eve but there were many others that helped make the event possible as well, with sponsors and donors providing the funding and items necessary to host such a large-scale event. Wright was profuse in her appreciation and was sure to send out a special thank you to all those who donated to the cause.

Sponsors and donors for the 2020 Christmas Curbside Pickup Dinner included Shepherd of the Valley Lutheran Church, Albertsons, Smith’s, Gunny’s Air Conditioning, Trinity Assembly of God, the town of Shoshone, commissioner Blundo along with commissioner Donna Cox, Brent Chumley of Mom’s Diner and Intermountain Healthcare.

For the Pahrump Holiday Task Force, their work for 2020 is now over but the committee is already setting its sights on the Easter holiday in 2021, when the group hopes to be able to host its annual Easter Picnic in the park. That event was unfortunately canceled in 2020 due to the COVID-19 pandemic but the task force is hopeful that by April, the pandemic will have settled down and restrictions will have been lifted enough to allow the Easter Picnic to be held once more.

“Our next event is Easter in the park with the Pahrump Disability Outreach Program,” Wright detailed. “We will be waiting to hear what the COVID-19 guidelines will be as the date gets closer. The date is normally the Saturday before Easter, which in 2021 would be Saturday, April 3. Keep watching for more information in the next few months and keep smiling Pahrump!”

For more information on the Pahrump Holiday Task Force and its efforts contact Wright at lwright.la.vfw@gmail.com

Contact reporter Robin Hebrock at rhebrock@pvtimes.com