Gathering at the Table: The Don Cole Community Thanksgiving Lunch

In Chelsea, the Thanksgiving season arrives not just with crisp air and falling leaves, but with the gathering of community members to share a special Thanksgiving meal. The Don Cole Community Thanksgiving Lunch, presented by Cole Funeral Chapel, is an annual tradition at the Chelsea Senior Center that reflects both the heart of the holiday and the roots of the organization itself.

Sixty years ago, when the Chelsea Senior Citizens Club opened its doors on May 22, 1965 at the corner of West Middle and Main Street, where Chelsea Outfitters stands today, the founders began with just two tables. Those tables quickly filled with the camaraderie of card games, community projects, potluck dishes, birthday cakes, and the laughter of people happy simply to be together. From the very beginning, food and community were the seniors’ great connectors.

Potlucks became a defining feature of the club’s early years, continuing even as the group moved locations four times. In the early 1980s, while meeting at North Creek Elementary School, the club hosted what may have been its first organized Thanksgiving meal. This set the stage for a tradition that still thrives today.

That tradition now lives on at Chelsea Senior Center as the Don Cole Community Thanksgiving Lunch. This year’s gathering drew 250 older adults, volunteers, families, and friends for an afternoon of connection, gratitude, and shared food. Helping to make the day even more festive, community partners served as celebrity servers.

This year, as guests settled into the cafeteria, they also witnessed a milestone moment in Chelsea Senior Center’s history. Representative Dingell honored the Chelsea Senior Center for its 60 years of service to older adults. Representative Dingell presented a Congressional Record Statement (CRS), a tribute that will be entered into the official record of the proceedings and debates of the United States Congress. Published daily when Congress is in session, the Congressional Record preserves the stories of institutions that have made a lasting impact on American communities.

For Chelsea Senior Center, this recognition underscores what they have long known: that CSC’s table has been a place of belonging for generations. This year, in celebration of 60 years of service, while plates were passed and stories shared, the spirit of those first two tables remained unmistakable.

This year’s Don Cole Community Thanksgiving Lunch was not only a celebration of the season, but also of connection, gratitude, and 60 years of bringing people together. Just as it has for decades, the Chelsea Senior Center’s table continues to grow, welcoming all who come to sit, share, and stay connected.