COVID resurgence leads to community dinner cancellation

Posted 11/19/20

The Powell community Thanksgiving meal has been canceled.

In an email Wednesday to the Trinity Bible Church congregation, Pastor Doug Siggins announced the unfortunate news.

After listening …

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COVID resurgence leads to community dinner cancellation

Posted

The Powell community Thanksgiving meal has been canceled.

In an email Wednesday to the Trinity Bible Church congregation, Pastor Doug Siggins announced the unfortunate news.

After listening to Gov. Mark Gordon’s Friday press conference, “the Trinity Bible Church elders have determined it would be unwise to conduct the annual community Thanksgiving meal,” Siggins wrote.

Faced with a rapid spike in cases and hospitalizations, Gordon discussed possible approaches to stemming the spread, including a statewide mask mandate. He praised Wyoming residents who are acting responsibly as hospital resources start to dry up.

Trinity leaders had been working with Park County Health Officer Dr. Aaron Billin on how to conduct the meal safely. The church had planned to split the serving up into four groups, according to last name, in addition to masks and sanitization practices.

In the past couple of weeks, however, the resurgence in cases has made many rethink plans for the holiday.

Siggins said Trinity’s elders wanted to “support and honor” Gordon, and also ensure the safety and wellbeing of the community.

“There are many issues worth fighting for in relation to our liberty during this time of difficulty.  We don’t believe this is one of them,” Siggins said.

In recent years, the event has brought in several hundred people to enjoy a free Thanksgiving meal together. It began in the 1990s as a way to bring a sense of fellowship to college students, who were spending the holiday away from home. It later blossomed into a community-wide effort.

Siggins also noted that, to protect the health of volunteers, they wouldn’t be providing meals for pick-up or delivery.

Some churches had already made purchases and prepared to help out, and Siggins asked that they contact him if they need assistance.

“We look forward to serving the community with this meal in 2021,” he said.

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