P&D Grocery Store plans free Thanksgiving dinner

Store has offered food for dozen years

For about a dozen years, Pete Loyd and Rob Kirks, owners of P&D Grocery Store in Mancos, have been hosting one big Thanksgiving feast.

This year, the Thanksgiving dinner will be offered at the P&D from 11 a.m. to 4 p.m. on Thanksgiving Day.

"Everyone is welcome," Loyd said.

To prepare for the event, Loyd plans to cook 16 25-pound turkeys. He'll also prepare ham, mashed potatoes, gravy, green bean casseroles and pies - most likely pumpkin and pecan.

Loyd said they typically serve about 300 people each year.

"Mostly community members stop in. But we get people sometimes off of the street just passing through," he said.

People from Cortez and Durango even head up for the free meal.

"We get everybody," he said. "We started just because so many people didn't have a place to go, so we thought we would do it as a Thanksgiving for our customers."

The only requirement is they have to sign a guest book, Loyd said.

P&D Grocery has been open for 39 years, but Loyd can't say for sure how many years he's served the dinner. "I think 12, maybe 13 years. I'm not sure."

The store is at 280 U.S. 160 West Frontage Road, Mancos. Call 970-533-7932 for more information.