The holiday season is all about celebrating and being together, and that's what the Auglaize County Veterans Commission did on Sunday! They held their 4th annual brunch for Auglaize County veterans and their families. They love seeing new and returning veterans come and enjoy the meal with their loved ones, not only thanking the veterans for what they gave for our country, but giving them a group to celebrate the holiday season with.
 Pizza... pizza... and more pizza. With families and friends all gathering and preparing for their Thanksgiving meal on Thursday, the desire to cook the night before slowly dwindles, leading to an increase in pizza orders. Lima's very own Westgate Entertainment Center, known for their pizza, says that the day before Thanksgiving is one of their busiest times of the year.
Travel for the Thanksgiving holiday is expected to break records even prior to the pandemic. For the first time, AAA is including the Tuesday before and the Monday after Thanksgiving in the official holiday travel count. Eighty million people nationwide are expected to travel 50 miles or more from their home.
One local organization is making sure that everyone has a nice Thanksgiving! On Monday, the Fresh n Faded Team Outreach held their 2nd annual Grateful Thankful celebration for CareCore at Lima residents. The morning started off with free haircuts followed by an early afternoon of bingo. To wrap up the day, a homemade Thanksgiving dinner with all of the classics from ham and mac and cheese to pumpkin pie was served. Each holiday season is a very busy time, and the team outreach wants to make sure no one is forgotten.
Lima City Councilman Derry Glenn provided people with warm Thanksgiving meals for the 17th year. Lima Towers residents and others who attended were served a free Thanksgiving dinner. They also held a raffle to give people the chance to win prizes. Glenn says the smiles he sees is what makes this event so good, and everyone involved is always eager for this time of year to come again.
With Thanksgiving next week, some are already starting to celebrate the holiday. Otterbein Senior Life in Cridersville had their annual Friendsgiving for the residents. The main dish was provided, but the residents were tasked with bringing their favorite Thanksgiving side dishes. This is a great time for the residents to come together, share stories, and connect with one another.
The Allen County Veterans Commission is helping veterans' families get a turkey or ham for the holidays. This is the 10th year that they have been offering vouchers to Allen County Veterans for Thanksgiving and Christmas. If you have gotten a voucher in the past, you can call the Veterans Commission, or they will call you to re-up your application, and those vouchers can be mailed to you. But if you haven't taken part in the program, there is a process.
