Homeless give thanks

Good food, good company, sunshine and a dusting of white snow — all the things Thanksgiving should be.

Of course, for the homeless this ideal might be hard to reach, but all the elements came together in a picture-perfect Thanksgiving at the Greek Orthodox Church Thursday afternoon.

Every year the Salt Lake church opens its doors to the homeless and those who don't have anywhere else to go for Thanksgiving.

Inside people were treated to a dinner with all the trimmings: yams, turkey, ham, stuffing, mashed potatoes, gravy, rolls, pumpkin pie. There was also a wealth of free clothes people could take, and free flu shots, too.

All the goodwill left people feeling very thankful, even folks who didn't have roofs to go home to.

"Yeah, I'm alive. That's a big thing, you know," said Jack Foriska. "I've been sick for a while so today is just a good day to be alive."

All told, more than 1,000 people were served at the church, 279 S. 300 West, which has held the dinner annually for five years. Additionally, more than 300 flu shots were

given out courtesy of St. Mark's Hospital.

"I'm thankful for all these hard-working and great people that have helped the less fortunate to have a delicious and thankful Thanksgiving," said a homeless man named Franky.

"I'm thankful for God watching over us, and I'm thankful for the sermon we heard today," added a homeless woman named Becky.

The Rev. Gary Peterson said the church has hundreds of volunteers sign up to serve the meals and wait on tables every year.

"It's beautiful," he said. "It's good to see the poor come and get full."

Besides serving the meals, the church packages hundreds of to-go orders that are distributed to shut-ins across the Wasatch Front.

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E-mail: bsnyder@desnews.com