Veterans, spouses and friends were fed at High Sierra Fellowship on Memorial Day weekend 2021.
On Memorial Day, Reach for Joy, an outreach of High Sierra Fellowship and Trinity Lutheran Churches, hosted a Veterans appreciation luncheon.
More than 350 people were served a barbecue tri-tip or chicken lunch with Yogurt Beach for dessert.
Reach for Joy team leader Kara Miller said the group’s mission is to “spread the love and compassion of Jesus throughout our community.”
The nonprofit began nearly three years ago and is funded entirely through donations. It operates with the support of local businesses and hundreds of volunteers.
“Every dollar that comes in goes right back out to the community,” said Miller.
Recent Reach for Joy projects include distributing 1,300 family meals provided by the Carson Valley Inn during the 2020 pandemic lock down; delivering 1,800 vases of Valentine’s Day flowers and chocolates to recipients at locations that included Austin’s House, Carson-Tahoe Hospital and Cancer Center, The Chateau at Gardnerville, City of Refuge, and Gardnerville Health and Rehabilitation Center; providing Minden Meat & Deli gift certificates to show appreciation for those who work in law enforcement; and coordinating with Chris Calhoun of Gardnerville’s Grocery Outlet to supply local families with meals and gift bags during Christmas and Easter.
In November, Reach for Joy presented veterans with gratitude gifts on Veterans Day and received an overwhelmingly positive response.
