Bradenton's Salvation Army official, diners were thankful on Thanksgiving

BRADENTON -- The annual Salvation Army free Thanksgiving Day dinner Thursday drew a crowd for a traditional meal of turkey and all the fixings.

In the kitchen were steaming trays of turkey, stuffing, mashed potatoes, rolls, gravy, and green beans. Stacked on a wheeled rack were varieties of pie.

Sitting at neat tables were the hungry, the needy, the lonely, those who were down on their luck, or maybe just people who needed a kind word and a good, hot meal.

One of them, Rick Hullfish, paused before he ate, and said a prayer of thanks.

"So many people are unappreciative, and we have so much to be thankful for," said Hullfish, who had just been released from jail and was coping with the recent death of a family member.

But he still felt he had much for which to be thankful.

Also thankful was Maj. Dwayne Durham, regional coordinator for the Salvation Army Manatee County, for the cadre of volunteers serving the meal on the holiday.

"Thank you for coming out today," he told the group. "What a wonderful gift!"

"We thank you for making this a part of your celebration," he added.

One family of volunteers from east Bradenton was helping with the drinks that were served with the meal.

Lisa and Mark Leatt brought their two children, Tamlyn, 10, and Jonathan, 8, to help. They said they had enjoyed their own Thanksgiving dinner earlier in the day.

"We wanted to serve others less fortunate, and show our kids how to help others," said Lisa Leatt, 41. Added Mark, 40, "It's a cool thing to learn to serve."

Diner Derek Lee, 28, said he had been living at the Salvation Army men's shelter adjacent to the dining room at 1204 14th St. W. for a month and a half.

But he had recently gotten a job at a tomato operation; it represented an important step toward independence, he said.

"I'm hoping in the next couple of weeks, I can move out," said Lee.

Sara Kennedy, Herald reporter, can be reached at 941-745-7031. Follow her on Twitter@sarawrites.

This story was originally published November 28, 2014 at 12:00 AM with the headline "Bradenton's Salvation Army official, diners were thankful on Thanksgiving."