WATERLOO, Iowa (November 25, 2020): Veridian Credit Union hosted the first curbside version of its 39th annual Mike and Leona Adams Thanksgiving Dinner on Monday, November 23. For the first time in the event’s history, Veridian employees served the Cedar Valley’s largest free Thanksgiving meal in to-go containers. Volunteers distributed 935 meals from the UAW Union Hall in Waterloo and partnered with the Northeast Iowa Area Agency on Aging to distribute another 282 meals to Meals on Wheels recipients.
“The Mike and Leona Adams Thanksgiving Dinner began in 1982 to offer a free meal to those in need during the farm crisis,” said Veridian President and CEO Renee Christoffer. “This year the pandemic has created a unique set of health and financial challenges. It was important for us to find a way to safely honor this tradition in our community.”
The event is named for its late founders. In 1982, Mike and Leona Adams saw friends and neighbors struggling to make ends meet after layoffs. Mike was a member of the UAW Local 838 and a board member for what is now Veridian Credit Union. He and his wife, Leona, brought both organizations together to serve a free community meal. The event now serves 900-1,000 meals each year, including turkey, mashed potatoes, gravy, stuffing, corn, cranberry sauce and pumpkin pie.
In addition to curbside pick-up, Metropolitan Transit Authority (MET Transit) also delivered meals from the event to recipients living in Cedar Falls, Evansdale or Waterloo without reliable transportation. Local contributors to the event also include College Square Hy-Vee, Martin Bros. Distributing Co., Inc., Northeast Iowa Area Agency on Aging, Special Occasions Party and Event Rental and the UAW Local 838 retirees.
Veridian Credit Union, founded in 1934 in Waterloo, Iowa, is a not-for-profit financial cooperative owned by its members. The credit union offers a full range of business and consumer financial services with more than 900 employees and 29 branches across Iowa and eastern Nebraska. For more information, visit veridiancu.org or call (800) 235-3228.