AZTEC

Aztec Senior Community Center offering drive-thru meals, home deliveries on Thanksgiving

Matt Hollinshead, mhollinshead@daily-times.com

FARMINGTON — The Aztec Senior Community Center will offer drive-thru Thanksgiving meal services to the community amid the COVID-19 pandemic.

Meals will be distributed to Aztec residents from 11 a.m. to 1 p.m. on Nov. 26.

“I think it’s of greater importance this year,” Aztec Senior Community Center Director Cindy Iacovetto said, adding that some people may not be able to cook Thanksgiving meals for themselves. “We feel that we can provide a safe service this way because we’ve been providing meals to the seniors since March.”

Iacovetto said the driver of each vehicle must wear a face covering upon arriving at the senior center, located at 101 S Park Ave. in Aztec, to pick up meals.

Iacovetto also said there will be signs posted to help guide vehicles through the drive-thru line.

There will also be a home delivery option for residents, in which delivery drivers will receive COVID-19 safety tips in advance on how to drop orders off.

Cindy Iacovetto and Kathy Lamb serve meals, Monday, Dec. 25, 2017, at the Aztec Senior-Community Center in this file photo. Due to COVID-19 sit-down meal service is not possible this year, but Thanksgiving meals will still be served via a drive-thru delivery process.

The state’s latest public health order entails a two-week “shelter-in-place” order, which will last through Nov. 30. New Mexicans are instructed to stay home except for essential services like food and water, emergency medical care, getting a flu shot or getting tested for COVID-19.

Food banks, nursing homes, food delivery services and services “providing care to indigent or needy populations” are deemed essential businesses in New Mexico under the state’s public health order.

Iacovetto said the senior center is seeking monetary donations to purchase necessary meal items. Iacovetto also said traditional food donations like green bean cans, turkeys and dressings will be accepted.

There will be signs posted to help guide vehicles through the drive-thru line at the Aztec Senior Community Center on Nov. 26, 2020, when Thanksgiving meals will be distributed to Aztec residents from 11 a.m. to 1 p.m.

To make a donation, schedule a home meal delivery or for more information, call the Aztec Senior Community Center at 505-334-2881.

“There’s no reason why people should not eat on (Thanksgiving),” Iacovetto said. “We just felt like it was really important for us to continue with the plans.”

Matt Hollinshead covers sports for the Daily Times. He can be reached at 505-564-4577 and on Twitter at @MattH_717.

Support local journalism with a digital subscription: http://bit.ly/2I6TU0e