Thanksgiving at Associated Veterans Club of Loveland is canceled

This year, hundreds of pounds of potatoes will go unpeeled and volunteers won’t be sent to deliver meals or serve in house, as the Associated Veterans Club of Loveland will not be holding a 20- year tradition.

Because of health restrictions brought on by the pandemic, the Thanksgiving Dinner Committee and the Associated Veterans Club have decided to cancel the annual event.

According to Rita Henderson, a member of the American Legion Auxiliary who has been a part of the Thanksgiving Dinner Committee for many years, the event dates back to 2000 and has seen a great deal of growth since its creation. Last year, the event served or delivered 1,000 meals to members of the community, done with the help of 200 to 300 volunteers over the course of a week up to Thanksgiving.

“It has just become a real community effort,” Henderson said. “It has done a lot to pull people together.”

She said the team members tried their best to figure out a way to make the event work safely. They realized it just wasn’t possible.

Henderson, who wrote a notice of cancellation for the event, said she had a very hard time writing the letter.

“Stay well, be safe, so we can all get together next year,” Henderson said.

Jenny Sparks, Reporter- Herald Ed Aitken, state commander of the Veterans of Foreign Wars and manager of the Loveland VFW, stands in the kitchen near the dining room of the club on Thursday.