Photo By Rick Emert | FORT CARSON, Colo. — Spc. Billy Lozanovski, left, and Spc. Nathan Obert, culinary...... read more read more
By Eric E. Parris
Garrison Public Affairs Office
FORT CARSON, Colo. — Fort Carson culinary specialists did their part for the annual Salvation Army Thanksgiving dinners, cooking and preparing 300 turkeys with all the trimmings at the Fort Carson Culinary Academy kitchen Nov. 24-27, 2019.
This was the 29th year Fort Carson and the Salvation Army have partnered for this event.
With the turkeys; 14 cases of green beans; four, 50-pound bags of mashed potatoes; eight cases of stuffing; and 30 pounds of butter, that was enough food to feed more than 3,000 people in the Colorado Springs area, said Chief Warrant Officer 3 David Geier, who was in charge of the Salvation Army meal preparation team of about 20 culinary specialists from across the 4th Infantry Division.
The meals were served at five locations, which included two locations in Colorado Springs, Manitou Springs, Fountain and Woodland Park.
The Soldiers hit the ground running Nov. 24, 2019.
“We have three shifts that started at midnight,” Geier said. “As they cook the turkeys, they will wait for them to cool down then debone them and prep them for Wednesday.”
The shifts, which had about six-to-seven Soldiers on each one, went around the clock to ensure the meals were ready for the Salvation Army to pick up on Thanksgiving Day.
The time and effort during this event was a way for the Soldiers to give back.
“Working with the Salvation Army is a way to support the community,” Geier said. “The community has supported the military, so it’s us looking back to help support them.”
For Spc. Nathan Obert, one of the culinary specialists on the team, giving back to the community is something he wanted to do.
“I think this is an awesome opportunity to just give back a little bit because we’re training all the time, so we want to give back to the community,” Obert said.
The purpose of being in the military is to serve the American people, so for the culinary specialists this is a great way to give back, he said.
While providing support to local communities is a common theme, for Spc. Billy Lozanovski, who has participated in this event for three years, it’s a bit more personal.
“Growing up, I relied on the Salvation Army a lot,” Lozanovski said.
Now as a Soldier, being able to support such a worthwhile cause is a big deal to him, he said.
“I’m able to help people who were in a similar situation that I was in,” Lozanovski said.
Many people throughout the local area were able to enjoy a home-cooked-style meal because of the Soldiers who gave of their time and talent this Thanksgiving.
| Date Taken: | 11.29.2019 |
| Date Posted: | 12.30.2019 09:32 |
| Story ID: | 357528 |
| Location: | US |
| Web Views: | 28 |
| Downloads: | 0 |
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