Holiday plans
Turkey feasts ease
seniors’ loneliness
“If you have nothing but cornbread and beans,
be happy to have them." That, says 82-year-old
Mildred Taylor is what Thanksgiving should be all
about
Taylor has had some Thanksgivings like those,
especially during the Great Depression
“The time I was livin' back in Colorado in the
30s it was hard But we made out
"Where there's a will, there's a way." she con
tinues "Maybe you don’t have much, but you have to
make do "
Taylor will spend her Thanksgiving with rela
tives, including 14 grandchildren But many of her
'friends in the Green Valley Care Center won t be so
lucky For them, the organized dinner will be a
welcome relief from the loneliness that would other
wise haunt what should be a festive holiday
Most of the nursing homes in Eugene and
Springfield are having a traditional turkey dinner for
their residents
Senior centers will be actively serving the tradi
tional holiday menu The Trude Kaufman Center,
996 Jefferson St., is expecting 80 to 125 people for
its 1 p m dinner today, and will take about 40 meals
to shut-in seniors in the neighborhood
Meal-time entertainment featuring a European
accordionist will start at 1 30 pm says assistant
supervisor Carlon Spores
Campbell Senior Center. 155 High St , is noiomg
a pottuck for an expected 100 seniors The dinner
starts at noon today and costs 75 cents
Millie Taylor is one senior that will spend the holiday
with her family Not all old folks will be so fortunate.
but there are many things going on today and
Thursday to help ease the loneliness
Holiday a turkey for students stuck in town
For the Plymouth Colony Pil
grim s and their 92 Indian
guests, that first Thanksgiving
dinner in 1621 symbolized the
accomplishments of survival
and friendship
For us, it's a four-day break
from studies and a chance to
gather with family and friends to
eat as much as we can
But the holiday loses its flavor
for those who are stuck in their
apartments or dorms for the
day Although low-income per
sons, transients and even pri
soners will have their fill of the
traditional holiday meal, for
students Thanksgiving could be
1
Eugene Mission cook Tom Mason busily
prepares the trimmings of a delicious Thanks
giving dinner for an expected 200 people All
food, including more than 20 turkeys, has been
donated by area businesses, churches and
individuals.
a turkey
Eugene's airlines and Amtrak
report full or nearly full depar
tures for both today and Thurs
day, 90 some students will have
to stay put
On campus, options for wee
kend entertainment are limited
The Ananda Marga Society is
sponsoring two movies "Beat
the Devil" at 7 and 9pm Friday,
and Thief of Bagdad'' at 7 and
9 15 p m Saturday The only
other organized activity over
the weekend is the Oregon
Oregon State football game.
Saturday at 1:30 pm
Dormitory cafeterias and the
EM U will be closed for the entire
four-day weekend Though the
library is open regular hours
Friday through Sunday, it will
close Wednesday at 5 p m and
stay closed all day Thursday
If you're looking for a turkey
dinner, plan on going off cam
pus The Salvation Army offers
Thanksgiving dinner to low-in
come persons and families and
to those who have no place to
go The meal will be served
from 11:30 a m to 2:30 p m
Thursday at the Willamalane
Park and Recreation Center,
765 North A, Springfield
A Salvation Army
representative says the dinner is
free but help is needed with
serving and clean-up Dona
tions will be accepted
The Loft restaurant, located
on Alder Street between 13th
and 14th streets, is also offering
free turkey to needy individuals
— people new in town, out of
food stamps, or on their own
The Thursday meal will be
served from 1 to 8 p m Local
musicians will provide enter
tainment
For people who are just
passing through, an additional
option is the Eugene Mission,
1542 W 1st Street The turkey
and ham dinner will start at 1 45
p m Thursday
According to assistant direc
tor Ron Metcalf, "The Mission
is, for many of the men (and
women), the only place to go
This is their home during the
week this is a home for those
who are always away from
home."
Metcalf says he expects more
than 200 men and women to
come for the meal
For those dining out Thurs
day, most restaurants in town
will be serving turkey dinners at
a cost of $3 to $9
If all else fails, try getting ar
rested
The food director at the Lane
County Jail says about 235 "vi
sitors" will enjoy a turkey dinner
made from scratch tomorrow
Stories by
Scott Hall,
Photos by
Peter Dustrud