The Steamboat Pilot & Today

Steamboat Springs — From turkey to cranberry sauce to green bean casserole, Routt County United Way is in need of food donations to feed the estimated 450 people who will pack the Steamboat Springs Community Center for next week’s annual Community Thanksgiving Dinner.

“We need donations ac­­ross the board,” United Way Executive Director Kelly Stan­ford said. “The good news is, volunteers stepped up early to help us serve and set up, so we’re set for the day of.”

Turkeys still are the big need — at last count, only nine birds had been promised for the big day, said Wells Fargo’s Lynn Bear, who is helping organize the food donations for the community dinner.

Thursday’s menu will include turkey, stuffing, mashed potatoes, sweet potatoes, green bean casserole, cranberry sauce and Jell-O salad, rolls and pie — and the United Way still could use more of everything.

“What we ask people to do is bring enough to feed eight to ten people, in a disposable container,” Stanford said. Donations should be brought to the community center beginning at 11 a.m. on Thanksgiving.

Steve Green Co. and the Steamboat Grand Resort Ho­­tel donated all the paper products for Thursday’s festivities, and the dishes will come from Steamboat Smokehouse, Stanford said.

To donate to the Community Thanksgiving Dinner, contact Routt County United Way at 879-5605, or Lynn Bear at Wells Fargo at 870-2021.

— To reach Melinda Dudley, call 871-4203

or e-mail mdudley@steamboatpilot.com