Thanksgiving Dinner For Seniors Is A Local Tradition [VIDEO]

SAUK RAPIDS -- The Great River Rotary hosted their 26th annual Thanksgiving Dinner for senior citizens today at the Sauk Rapids-Rice High School.

About 300 senior citizens from all over central Minnesota were brought to the dinner with free transportation courtesy of Metro Bus.

Once there, attendees were treated to a full Thanksgiving dinner, complete with turkey, potatoes, and stuffing.

Sauk Rapids-Rice Superintendent Daniel Bittman has been involved with the dinner for years.

"I'm blessed...to be a part of this great tradition," Bittman says.

"It's an opportunity for us [the volunteers] to give back."

Bittman says that the volunteers - from the school district and Rotary - worked tirelessly to prepare for the event.

"We were here yesterday preparing for the birds and we were here as early as 5:00 this morning getting ready to set up," Bittman says.

After the dinner, the senior citizens were treated to the high school's performance of the musical "Oklahoma!", making the day an exciting experience for those who came out.

Bittman says that he appreciates the experience of being involved with the dinner for so many years.

"It's humbling to be able to get to know so many of these people who mean so much to us as a school district and as a rotary club" Bittman says.

"These are the people who make our community great every single day, so it's a humbling experience."