Hope for thousands

Holiday cheer came in heaping helpings at the Salvation Army’s three locations for Thanksgiving dinners. Fort Carson cooked up the tons of turkey and the trimmings and volunteers dished out the food and smiles.

Therese Miller was one of those who was happy to grab a slice of fellowship with others, “I have no relatives whatsoever who are here in town. The Salvation Army is wonderful, wonderful people.” It’s the same feeling of belonging that brought Karen Nelson to this dinner, “I love coming here. It’s the place to be.”

SGT Mark Scozzafava is one of the Fort Carson soldiers who helped cook the food and dish it out. It’s been a family tradition for him and his wife for five holidays, “It’s a sense of normalcy coming back from a deployment. Not only do I get to help the soldiers over there but I also come back to help out here, too.”

That feeling of helping others is also a family affair and has been for the past two years for brothers Michael and Stephen Bauers. They’re teens who are happy to help others. Michael told me, “I really like it because they really appreciate the stuff we are doing for them. Stephen told me, “It’s just nice to help people who are less fortunate than us.”

Susan LaCava has been a volunteer for the Salvation Army for the past 15 years. She said she had a touching moment last year. She talked about a man with a unique story, “There was a guy who wanted to leave his coat in the kitchen. I told him he could but it might not be there when he left. He told me that he didn’t care. He said if someone needs my coat they can have my coat. I was homeless for 10 years and now have a ministry where I reach out to the homeless. He touched my heart.”

One more Salvation Army big turkey dinner is done and now the planning begins for the big Christmas Holiday dinner.