Salvation Army, Fort Carson team up for 37th annual Thanksgiving dinner Thursday

COLORADO SPRINGS, Colo. (KRDO) --     Whether you're homeless, alone, poor, or just plain hungry, there was a seat at the table for you on Thursday.

The Salvation Army and Fort Carson provided a free Thanksgiving dinner to those in need, at the Salvation Army headquarters on Yuma Street.

More than 200 volunteers pitched in to serve meals to around 2,500 people across the Pikes Peak region.

Sharing a traditional holiday mean is always nice, even in a room where many people don't know each other.

"Maybe 20 years."

Two longtime friends decided to partake in the dinner, for the first time.

"My family's out of town and my grandson's going somewhere else," said Julia Rivera. "And I was invited to my daughter's with her friends, but I refused because they're a lot younger than I am."

The friends say that they don't miss big family get-togethers.

"And I've got all those memories in my heart. So, I'm pleased," said Mary Hook."

Jake Maez was attending his third dinner -- ever since became homeless.

But he hopes to be back on his feet soon.

"So that you can cook my own Thanksgiving dinner," he said. "Be able to have my brother over, and my son, my daughter."

It takes a lot of work to prepare the meal; final preparations started early Thanksgiving morning while many of us were still asleep.

The volunteers got their instructions -- and an unexpected announcement from the Salvation Army's head chef, Jorge Granados.

"So, we're going to be behind on deliveries of food right now," he explained. "So, just hang tight with us."

Officials said that a mix-up at Fort Carson resulted in some containers of food being mislabeled; it delayed the start of dinner by an hour.

Fort Carson began cooking the food on Monday; volunteers pitched in to bring the tubs of food inside, prepare it and serve it to the guests.

The top two organizers of the event experienced it for the first time.

"The need to just help people connect with each other at times when you're lonely," said Stephen Ball, the local Salvation Army's new commander. "When you can be apart from family, or even be without the traditional holiday food."

Col. Erik Oksenvaag, Fort Carson's garrison commander, said that the willingness to serve -- soldier or civilian -- sets a good example for the younger generation.

"My daughter, who's ten years old, she wanted to come today, to provide something back to the community," he shared. "The idea of volunteering is really important to her."

For those who couldn't come to the food, the food came to them -- as volunteers delivered meals to four other locations.

Granados said that the number of people served was down from a recent high of 3,000.

"It's good, in that maybe fewer people are in need," he surmised. "But we're always here for them if they ever are in need."