WabiSabi is offering a free community Thanksgiving dinner on Thursday, November 22, from 2:00 to 5:00 p.m. at the Grand Center. The dinner is made possible by generous donations from the community and local sponsors as well as the United Way of Eastern Utah. Everyone is invited to attend or volunteer at the event.

This is the seventh year WabiSabi has offered its Hands Up Thanksgiving dinner, and last year 500 meals were served. Over 100 volunteers cook, serve, clean, decorate and coordinate the meal. The Youth Garden Project and the Grand Center contribute their facilities for cooking and serving. BEACON After School Program provides the decorations. Numerous businesses from about town donate the desserts and beverages. The Executive Chef of Cabo Grill, Zachary Davidson, will be volunteering his time and talents this year to create the main meal, which will include turkey, stuffing and all the trimmings.

“There are tons of people in this town that have no family to spend the holidays with,” says Holly Dinsmore, WabiSabi’s Warehouse Manager and organizer of the Hands Up community meals.“We don’t want people to be alone during the holidays. Also, this is the off-season. People are getting laid off, and money is a real issue.”

However, as Dinsmore points out, the Thanksgiving dinner is more about creating a sense of community than just helping people through lean economic times. She notes that a broad cross-section of the community attends each year, from schoolteachers and business owners to the unemployed and homeless. “The free meal is appreciated,” she says, “but the bonds of community are essential.”

WabiSabi is currently seeking volunteers to help with meal setup, serving and cleanup. Anyone interested in getting involved can contact Mandy Turner at 259-2553 or programs@wabisabimoab.org. Unfortunately, WabiSabi is unable to accept food donations from individuals. Everything served must be prepared in a commercial kitchen. Financial contributions to the event may be mailed to WabiSabi, 1030 Bowling Alley LN, Moab, UT 84532. And are greatly appreciated.

Dinsmore points out that generous community involvement is vital to the success of the event.

“It’s over-the-top fabulous,” she says. “It’s a wonderful thing to see tons of volunteers step up each year. People from everywhere in the community just jump-in and help set tables, cook the food and serve it.”

“Hands Up is a chance for the individuals, nonprofits and businesses of Moab to unite in sustaining area residents and the community at large,” she adds.

WabiSabi is an integral part of the Moab community, supporting its eclectic sense of identity and the diversity of residents that comprise it. To learn more, visit www.wabisabimoab.org.