Hutton Center Opens Doors for Thanksgiving Dinner

For most of us, Thanksgiving is a time for good food, family and friends. Laughter and love fill our homes as we set aside the day to enjoy family traditions and maybe even a little bit of football. For others, Thanksgiving is a time to leave those happy homes and head out to the Hutton Center in Colton to spend time sharing some smiles and a homemade dinner with strangers that become family and friends for the day. As Chris Rymer, the human services manager of the Colton Community Services Department, and his staff readied for the 2013 Thanksgiving Day Dinner, he gathered the large contingency of local volunteers together to explain the etiquette of the event. After a final blessing was spoken by City Councilman Frank Navarro, the doors of the community center opened wide to welcome a long line of people eagerly waiting to come in to the festivities. Unlike the jostling Black Friday crowds, the people had stood in line talking to each other, laughing and telling stories. Roma Santiago, a long-time senior recreation leader with Colton Community Services, had been outside to greet old friends and meet new ones. The smell of roasted turkey with stuffing wafted through the air, promising a great meal for those who had spent the morning in the company of strangers. Rose Martinez, of Colton, had come to the center for the celebration with her niece Veronica Flores. “This is my first year here,” she said, “but I was encouraged by my brother, John Anaya, who does a lot of volunteering with Community Services, to come and enjoy the party.” A 44-year-long resident of Colton, Art Guerrero was all smiles as he waited his turn to be escorted to his table. “This is my seventh year coming to this event,” he said. “The food is good and they bring it right to you. They give you a lot, too.” Rymer shared that the Thanksgiving Day Dinner is a longtime tradition at both the Hutton and Luque centers in Colton. The dinner is open to everyone without charge and for those who are not able to travel to the center for the event, a take home container is available each year. “We serve about 500 to 600 people each year,” said Rymer, “and it’s really heartwarming. It makes you appreciate what you have and you get back such a feeling of gratitude from those who come here to share this meal with us." Rymer said that generally they just have a meal served but this year they also had live music. "This is probably my favorite event of the year for Community Services," Rymer said. "You see so many families who are so appreciative of what we offer them and the support of the community is amazing. So many people show up to volunteer and the monetary donations that make all of this possible are greatly appreciated.” Rymer cited Ashley Furniture, The Law Offices of Malcolm Cisneros (in honor of Paddi Cisneros), and Colton City Council members as the major contributors towards the costs of the event. Decorations at the table were handmade by students of the Cooley Ranch Elementary After School Program. Luis “Dr G” Gonzalez provided a variety of holiday music for the event on his guitar as he shared his delight in being able to “bring his program home to Colton this year” after spending the last 20 years sharing his talents at a Salvation Army site. Rosenda Gonzales, a Spanish teacher and the Interact Club advisor at Colton High School, had brought 13 members of the club out to the dinner for the first year at the prompting of student, Nicole Toro. Toro, 16, is a junior at Colton High School and the daughter of Councilman David Toro (who was also volunteering that day). “I like to help make other people happy and everyone who comes here helps me to enjoy it all," said Nicole Toro, who is helping at the event for the fourth year. "Sometimes I see a part of the world that isn’t a part of my everyday life. It all makes me more grateful for what I have.”