Starks Funeral Home sponsors Good Samaritan Thanksgiving dinner

Intermountain Catholic

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Volunteers serve the homeless a Thanksgiving dinner in Scanlan Hall at the Cathedral of the Madeleine. IC photo/Christine Young

SALT LAKE CITY — The chef and staff from Starks Funeral Home volunteered with the Starks family to cook enough turkey and all the fixings to serve 350 dinners for the homeless on Thanksgiving Day.

The meal was served in Scanlan Hall at the Cathedral of the Madeleine, where Jason and Shayneh Starks and George Starks, Jr. are members.

This was the first time they had undertaken such an event, "so we didn’t know what to expect," said Jason Starks. "We got the word out by giving away tickets, but of course we let anybody come and eat. We wanted to do something different this year to give back. We love the Good Samaritan Program; we’re involved with it, and we’ve had parishioners from various parishes and people from the Madeleine Choir School want to volunteer. It’s a great example for the kids and it’s community service – we are our brother’s keeper and we are socially responsible for what happens around us."

Brandon Arano, a Madeleine Choir School eighth-grader, and his brother, Yanirth Arano, helped at the event for two hours before going home for their own family Thanksgiving dinner.

"Every time my brother and I see a homeless person we always feel bad," said Brandon Arano. "So we decided to volunteer by taking tickets and watching their backpacks for them while they eat."

Meredith Mannebach, a Cathedral of the Madeleine parishioner, volunteered at the event because she wanted to give her children the experience of helping the homeless.

"We are so blessed, so any chance we have to give back is great," said Mannebach. "I think it’s important to teach our kids at a young age to think beyond themselves. It’s especially important at this time of year, when they are thinking about what they want for Christmas, to see people who have a lot less than they do."

"There are a lot of people who are cold and hungry living outside and can’t afford a Thanksgiving dinner, so I wanted to help them have a happy Thanksgiving," said Mannenbach’s son, P.J.

George Starks contributed to the Thanksgiving meal by bringing the "Juice Caboose," his trailer from his Blue Star Cafe that he uses at the Farmer’s Market, to serve hot chocolate, coffee and fresh-squeezed juice to people as they entered the cathedral.

"It’s wonderful to reach out to those in need," said George Starks. "The people who have come have gotten a lot of personal attention and that can make a lot of difference in their lives."

The Thanksgiving meal was the first opportunity the Starks family has had to offer a meal to the homeless.

"We would like to also have a springtime meal and plan some summer BBQs to capitalize on the Good Samaritan Program," said Shayneh Starks. "We’ve seen about 150 to 200 people come through for dinner and what we have left over we will put in to-go boxes and take to Pioneer Park to give away."

Out of the many places holding Thanksgiving dinners, the cathedral was the only one allowing the people to have to-go boxes, said Willie Green, Cathedral of the Madeleine sexton, who assists the homeless in a variety of ways.

A lot of people are battling homelessness and unemployment, said Jason Starks.

"Working the door at the Good Samaritan Program is a humbling and amazing experience," he said. "There, you realize how many people also have addiction and socialization issues. The Good Samaritan Program has evolved into a program where they give away whatever they have. It’s really sad to see families come to the door in need of diapers or kids coats, mittens and hats."