Gulf County senior citizens gather for Thanksgiving feast
The Gulf County Senior Citizens Association had to set out extra chairs and tables to accommodate the Thanksgiving dinner crowd at the Port St. Joe Senior Center on Tuesday, November 15.
It was one of the largest turnouts they had seen for an event in many years, said GCSCA officials. And, in the spirit of the holiday, they expressed their gratitude towards those who helped make it a possibility.
“We’re so glad to have you all come join us,” said GCSCA Director Eddie Fields, addressing those gathered. “This is a time to be grateful, and I am so grateful that so many of you are able to come to the center, socialize and enjoy yourselves.
The GCSCA operates both senior centers in Gulf County — the one in Port St. Joe and the one in Wewahitchka.
Over the past year, their staff has worked to increase awareness of the services they provide within the community, which includes providing hot meals to local seniors and assisting with the day-to-day needs of home-bound seniors.
Fields said these efforts were evidenced in the event’s large turnout.
“These things just keep getting bigger and bigger,” he said.
Food for the Thanksgiving dinner was donated by Duren’s Piggly Wiggly, and volunteers from around the community gathered to help distribute food.
For more information about the GCSCA and their services, please call (850) 229-8466 for Port St. Joe or 850-639-9910 for Wewahitchka or stop by either location.
Meet the Editor
Wendy Weitzel, The Star’s digital editor, joined the news outlet in August 2021, as a reporter covering primarily Gulf County.
Prior to then, she interned for Oklahoma-based news wire service Gaylord News and for Oklahoma City-based online newspaper NonDoc.com during her four years at the University of Oklahoma, from which she graduated in May with degrees in online journalism and political science.
While at OU, Weitzel was selected as Carnegie-Knight News21 Investigative Fellow among 30 top journalism students from around the country. She also was senior editor managing a 12-person newsroom in coordination with Oklahoma Watch, a non-profit news organization in eastern Oklahoma.