Special to the Town Crier
The start of the holiday season is when people open their hearts and their pocketbooks to help the less fortunate enjoy a healthy Thanksgiving dinner.
Ron Shanholtz, the owner of Mac's American Grill, has opened his heart to the homeless and elderly for the past 11 years by providing a Thanksgiving dinner for as many as 250 people.
"We started this program in 1985 when the local soup kitchen didn't open on Thanksgiving Day," Shanholtz said. "We contacted the Community Services Agency (CSA) and their Alpha Omega program and started to offer free dinners on Thanksgiving."
This year's Thanksgiving dinner will seat 100 seniors selected from CSA's senior case management, senior nutrition and senior outreach programs.
Shanholtz will offer a second Thanksgiving dinner on Dec. 15 for homebound seniors who need special transportation.
"It's the social event of the year for many of them. They come 'dressed to the nines' and a lot of them seem to know each other from CSA's nutrition program," Shanholtz said.
Shanholtz is helped on Thanksgiving by his wife Dianne and son Craig. They make sure each senior receives a full dinner that includes roast turkey, mashed potatoes, vegetables and dessert. The Shanholtz family prefers to keep their annual Thanksgiving dinners a low-key affair, because for them this is not an act of publicity - it's an act of kindness.
"A lot of people don't have anywhere else to celebrate Thanksgiving, and they could be going hungry where they live," Shanholtz said. "I try to provide good food in a nice restaurant and give them a feeling of dignity while they are here."
Dianne said, "Without the help of volunteers and some of Mac's regular customers and employees, we couldn't do this, but while they are here, we want to provide them with a feeling of self-respect and dignity."