KCOY Santa Maria, Santa Barbara, San Luis Obispo - News-Santa Maria Veterans Day Lunch Serves Hundreds
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11.11.09
SANTA MARIA - It was an emotional day for veterans and their family members or friends that came to the Santa Maria Veteran’s Memorial Building for lunch because they got much more than that.
For years local attorney Michael B. Clayton has been serving a free barbeque lunch with all the trimmings to all veterans as his way of saying thanks.
“We want to make sure that we're taking care of the people that have taken care of us”, Clayton says, “what we’re doing is we're serving the vets one day a year that served us their whole lives.”
This year Clayton moved the event from the street in front of his office to the Santa Maria Veteran's Memorial Building in order to accommodate thousands of people who formed a long line around the historic landmark.
“When they see somebody dressed in uniform, take a second, break out of what you're doing, and say I know what you are doing and we really want to thank you”, Clayton adds.
The Santa Maria Elks Club and volunteers from several other non-profit organizations helped cook and serve the lunch to the vets and their friends or family members.
“I’d say as long as we have breath, we should give thanks”, says veteran Edward Finney.
“My brother was in the 82nd Airborne Division in World War II, I’m 75, he would be 85, he died at 25 so you could live in a free country”, added another tearful vet.
Other volunteers like Karen Vanworth spend even more time sending cards and letters to those serving now in Iraq and Afghanistan.
“But they are at least getting mail because so many of them get nothing from home”, Vanworth says while preparing the lunch, “no communication, no cards, no letters or anything and that to me is just a shame I felt I had to do something to get involved to let them know they are not forgotten, they are cared about very much.”
Michael B. Clayton says he bought enough food to feed as many as four thousand people this year.
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