The memories rushed back to Lorraine Dunn at her booth in WareHouse ’23 in Vancouver on Thanksgiving Day.
Dunn was surrounded by three other women who are staying with her at the Winter Hospitality Overflow Shelter in Vancouver. The group bused to WareHouse ’23 for the restaurant’s annual free turkey dinner offered on Thanksgiving and Christmas. State Court of Appeals Judge Rich Melnick, an organizer of the event, said they’ve been averaging about 600 to 700 dinners the last three years at WareHouse ’23.
While Dunn was joined by a group of friends, her focus kept shuffling back to her late ex-husband Dan Lodwig. Dunn and Lodwig spent their 1975 honeymoon in the same space (formerly known as Red Lion at the Quay).
“It’s really awesome,” Dunn said. “I’m remembering my thoughts and feelings about him.”
Other free meals
In addition to WareHouse ’23, other Clark County establishments offered Thanksgiving meals:
Luepke Center, 1009 E. McLoughlin Blvd., Vancouver
St. John the Evangelist Catholic Church, 8701 N.E. 119th St., Vancouver
Washougal Community Center, 1681 C St.,
Washougal
Living Hope Church, 2533 N.E. Andresen Road, Vancouver
Dunn explained the restaurant became their “date spot.” She said Lodwig was a romantic, and that they’d enjoy candlelight dinners, while looking out on the Columbia River. Lodwig was a fan of the prime rib, Dunn recalled. When she agreed to join her three friends for the meal, Dunn had no idea she was returning to this nostalgic spot. She called it “a pleasant gift.”
“Every couple needs to have that one place that’s romantic to them, and it’s all about them,” Dunn said.
The four women enjoyed that they had folks to spend Thanksgiving with. It was a nice change up from last year for Lisa Clevenger, who met Dunn at the WHO shelter.
“It means the world to have somebody to spend Thanksgiving with,” Clevenger said. “Last year, I ate alone.”
“Nobody should eat alone, unless they want to,” added friend Lisa Wattles, who added that she enjoyed “the meal, the view and the company.”
Dunn, Clevenger and Wattles have described the essence of what Melnick and Chuck Chronis set out to do when they started serving turkey dinners together in 1982 — it’s Chronis’ 51st year of doing some kind of charitable Thanksgiving meal. The locations have changed — and now they serve out of WareHouse ’23 with owner Mark Matthias — but the spirit stays the same.
Melnick pointed out how every employee was smiling and happy. “It makes everybody feel good,” he said. How many people show up doesn’t matter much to Melnick. He’s just trying to ensure people have a place to eat with others on a holiday.
“If there’s only one person or two people, then we’ve accomplished what we want,” Melnick said.
John Seeking, a Vancouver resident, who volunteered by helping people check their bags, said he loves seeing the smiles on people’s faces. He said checking bags is an eye-opening experience for him, since “a lot of these people have everything in the world they can fit in their bags,” and are reluctant sometimes to part with their bags.
The turkey dinner can serve as a reprieve from the stresses of homelessness.
“For a little bit, people are just able to sit down just like anyone else, and feel comfortable and enjoy a meal,” Seeking said.
Vancouver resident Chris Moulton agreed the dinner serves an important role.
“Year after year, it’s helping the homeless get food in them and keeping them going,” Moulton said.
Patrick Schildan is one of the homeless people Moulton and Seeking referenced. He woke up Thanksgiving morning by thinking, “Why am I sleeping outside in the cold?” Schildan, who went to ITT Technical Institute and also Concorde Career College in Portland, said he lost a job with Hewlett Packard in 2001, when the job was outsourced overseas.
He explained that the hardest part of climbing out of homelessness is getting a job. He questioned how anyone can ace a job interview when they can’t find a shower in the morning. And he shared the hurt and embarrassment he’s felt when someone leaves a bus seat next to him because of how he smells.
“We’re not bad people,” he said.
Schildan mentioned he’s trying to get his life in order, but explained it’s tough. For at least Thanksgiving, Schildan said, he felt fully welcomed.
“Everyone is friendly here,” he said. “They don’t look down on us.”
