CLEARLAKE ? The Highlands Senior Center recently received a heavy gift that will help feed the masses this Thanksgiving holiday. The Lakeshore Lions Club donated a monster of a bird to the senior center that was purchased during the 4-H Livestock Auction at the Lake County Fair in September.
Lions member Russell Jonas put up the winning bid on the 35 pound gobbler raised by 4-Her Cambria Miller. The Lions snagged the bird on a bid of $625.
“We certainly won”t have to buy as many turkeys this year thanks to this guy,” Highlands Senior Center Board Member Shirley Pemperton said.
The Highlands Senior Center serves an average of 40 to 50 meals per day. As many as 50 local seniors are expected to share Thanksgiving Day dinner at center on Bowers Road in Clearlake. Seniors will be treated to a delicious roasted turkey dinner with all the holiday fixings including salad bar and pumpkin pie. Salad bar will open at 11 a.m. and Thanksgiving dinner will be served at noon.
The center is graciously accepting further donations to ensure the meal is complete. “We would appreciate any donation that has to do with a delicious Thanksgiving dinner,” Pemperton said. “Our seniors depend on us and we want to make sure no one goes underserved.”
Pemperton said the center will gladly accept donations such as turkeys, cranberry sauce, potatoes, sweet potatoes, canned vegetables and holiday and pumpkin pies. The center also accepts donations year round for its weekly silent auction, which enables the center to continue functioning on a daily basis.
“We accept donations of household items, craft items; anything from around the house that they don”t want. We take small working appliances, games, knick-knacks,” Pemerton said. “Blankets, gloves and coats are always appreciated and needed especially around this time of year.”
Not only does the center depend on the generosity of the community to ensure service needs are satisfied, it also depends on its volunteers to get the job done. Pemperton said the volunteers for the Meals-on-Wheels program are desperately needed as are volunteers for the kitchen. “We just welcomed a new person to our office staff recently but we can always use more volunteers,” she said.
Those interested in volunteer opportunities at the Highlands Senior Center or those seeking to make a donation should call 994-3051 for more information.
Contact Denise Rockenstein at drockenstein@clearlakeobserver.com or call her directly at 994-6444, ext. 11.
