Whether they heard about it on the radio, at a local food pantry or at their church, dozens of Denver-area individuals and families found their local Thanksgiving meal waiting for them outside Lakewood’s Mile Hi Church.
96.9 The Cloud and its local partners assembled for the third annual Dignity Tuesday, which provides boxes of free food the Tuesday before Thanksgiving.
Along with turkeys and a few hams, the event also offered fresh bread, fresh and canned vegetables, stuffing, gravy, cranberries, pies and centerpiece-type flower arrangements.
Organizer Chuck Lontine from The Cloud said he had 1.3 tons of food total, including about 75 turkeys. He added that anything left over from the event would be donated to Golden and Lakewood food banks.
Lontine emphasized how Dignity Tuesday wouldn’t be possible without new and returning donors.
- Wheat Ridge Poultry & Meats donated the main courses;
- Golden’s Grateful Bread donated special loaves of ciabatta;
- Applewood-area Something Styled, Inc. donated the flower arrangements;
- Colo-Pac Produce, Inc. donated boxes of fresh vegetables; and
- Legacy Pie Co. — a new donor with a location in the Highlands and a forthcoming one near Washington Park — donated desserts.
Other businesses helped sponsor the event and provided volunteers, and the radio station’s longtime support Mile Hi Church provided the location.
The inaugural event was at Golden’s Christian Action Guild and last year’s was at the BGOLDN food pantry at New Hope Community Church. Lontine said pick-up was complicated at both locations because of high traffic volumes and/or lack of parking. While Mile Hi Church was a bit farther from Golden, it had easy access with lots of parking and gave Dignity Tuesday a more regional reach, he explained.
That proved important, as people came from all over Golden, Lakewood and beyond to pick up their Thanksgiving fixings. Lontine said one man came from Brighton after hearing about it on the radio, but most heard about it through The Cloud’s pantry partners or through Mile Hi Church.
Lakewood’s Delilah Martinez, who picked up food for her household, heard about it through a friend. She felt Dignity Tuesday was a great way to help a lot of people in need, adding, “Keep up the good work.”
Maria Ramirez, branch manager at Sunflower Bank’s Golden location, and her 8-year-old daughter Alana were helping assemble boxes of food as people arrived. Ramirez volunteered at last year’s event, and was happy to support a good program again this holiday season.
She described how many local families are struggling to afford basic needs, and when that happens, it’s often harder for them to bring large families together for a meal. But, she hoped Dignity Tuesday would enable everyone to gather together for Thanksgiving, she said.
Leah Hahn of Golden’s Body In Balance Wellness Center, one of The Cloud’s supporters, also brought her 12-year-old son Logan to help, saying Dignity Tuesday was a great volunteer opportunity for him. She commended Lontine for putting the event together for the last three years.
“It’s people helping other people,” she said of Dignity Tuesday. “It brings the true meaning of the holiday out and puts it into action.”
When asked if he’d host a fourth annual Dignity Tuesday next Thanksgiving, Lontine responded very affirmatively. He said he’s compelled by his own personal commitment and by his role as a broadcaster “to serve the community within my signal.”