Friendship Center Thanksgiving Luncheon

The Friendship Center in Montecito held a Thanksgiving luncheon for its members and their families and friends on Wednesday, November 22 at the center. The festive feast was led by Executive Director Kathryn Westland and her team of Kim Larsen, cooks, and even her cousins – the MeekerFamily from San Diego!

The cooks were busy in the kitchen making both a ham dinner and a turkey dinner, along with desserts. Members of note were Tom and Donna Carvey, with Tom boasting his age at 101.5 years old and a U.S. Navy WWII veteran; Robert Antonini, a WWII U.S. Army veteran at 97 years old; Irwin Bendet, a U.S. Navy veteran with wife Roz and daughter Bess; and Tom Scheff, a U.S. Army Korean War veteran with Suzanne Retzinger. 

New this year for the Friendship Center was its decision to keep Veterans’ Day more personal instead of its annual large event. Westland shared: 

“Instead of the bigger event, we spent the day celebrating and showering our vets with love. It was requested to keep the day more low-key and personal, so we went that route. In addition, we are in the process of creating a Vets center room on campus, with photographs, certificates, medals, and other memorabilia our vets wish to contribute, where anyone can visit and learn more about them.”

The center will have a holiday event coming up in December; check the website for more information.

411: www.friendshipcentersb.org