BETHLEHEM, Pa. — The Hispanic Center Lehigh Valley brought Thanksgiving warmth, music and community to dozens of local seniors Wednesday, offering a homemade holiday meal and a sense of family for those who might otherwise spend the day alone.
The celebration — featuring Western-themed outfits, live music, dancing and a group prayer in Spanish — is part of the center’s ongoing effort to support seniors who rely on the program not only for meals, but for companionship.
Ana Tubercio, an Allentown School District board director whose family participates in the program, said many seniors attend because it is the only connection they have.
“Some of these seniors are here by themselves, so this is the only thing that they have,” Tubercio said. “This is probably the only Thanksgiving dinner for some of them. Some don’t have a significant other or kids.”
Tubercio said the environment of compassion is what sets the program apart.
“Your situation — you could be okay,” she said. “But what about the person next to you? And that’s the person that’s laughing the hardest.”
She added that she has witnessed the staff’s care on a daily basis.
“I drop off every morning and there’s times my eyes get watery because I see how they take care of them,” she said. “When they leave at 1, they make sure somebody is actually out here picking you up. They ring the doorbell. It’s like when they used to take you to school.”
Tubercio said her family drives from Allentown each day because the program is worth the commitment.
Lizzette Melendez, operations manager at the Hispanic Center, said the staff works to create a welcoming environment that feels like home.
“A lot of our seniors do have families and local loved ones, but a lot of them don’t,” Melendez said. “So we have created a family here at the Hispanic Center, where they feel the love, they feel the joy, they feel the compassion. At least they have that sense of ‘I belong.’”
This year, the center distributed more than 175 turkeys and additional meals to community members facing food insecurity. The food pantry has been “buzzing like crazy,” Melendez said, as staff work to stretch limited resources.
Inside the senior program, the Thanksgiving menu featured roasted turkey, glazed ham, arroz con gandules, mashed potatoes, mac and cheese, glazed yams, green bean almondine and homemade stuffing — all prepared by the center’s new head cook, Miss J.
For many attendees, the meal was only part of the experience. Seniors dressed as cowboys and cowgirls, sang along to live music and filled the room with dancing and laughter.
“We try to do what we can with the resources that we have,” Melendez said. “But at the end of the day, what matters most is that they feel cared for.”
