New location for community Thanksgiving Dinner

Sonoma Community Center’s free Thanksgiving Dinner will move this year from its traditional Andrews Hall setting to the larger Sonoma Veterans Memorial Hall.

“Last year we had guests sitting in the staircases and wandering the halls, plates in hand, looking for somewhere to sit,” said SCC Executive Director Toni Castrone. “We want to be sure that everyone feels welcome and gets to be a part of the fun. The vets building is much larger than Andrews Hall, and is well-suited for this type of event.”

The Sonoma Community Center’s free Thanksgiving Dinner is prepared by an all-volunteer crew. The menu is developed and executed by longtime Sonoma Community Center volunteer Gary Edwards, who insists that, as much as possible, the meal is prepared with organic, locally sourced products. In the months leading up to Thanksgiving, Edwards arranges donations of food from local business such as Green String Farms, Paul’s Produce, Basque Boulangerie and Whole Foods. Rotary Club of Sonoma Valley buys nearly 100 organic Willie Bird turkeys for the occasion. Guests bring their own homemade desserts to share, and wine is available for purchase by the glass.

Doors open at 3 p.m. on Thursday, November 28, and dinner will be served, buffet-style, until 5 p.m. Volunteers ages 12 and up are needed for set-up, serving, hosting and cleanup shifts. Sign up to volunteer by calling Sonoma Community Center at 938.4626 x 1 or Sonomacommunitycenter.org. There is no cost to attend the dinner, and donations are gratefully accepted.