Free Thanksgiving eve dinner being held Nov. 23

The Boys & Girls Club of Truckee Meadows invites the community to its annual pre-Thanksgiving celebration with Bully’s Sports Bar & Grill Wednesday, Nov. 23 from 4 – 7 p.m. at the Donald W. Reynolds Facility on East Ninth Street in Reno.

The Bully’s Community Thanksgiving dinner provides turkey and all the fixings for a free community meal in honor of the founder of Bully’s Sports Bar & Grill, who was actively involved in sports programs and was an avid supporter of the Club. The dinner is now in its eighth year and all members of the community are invited to stop in, celebrate and gobble up a traditional meal on the night before the national holiday.

The 8th annual event also includes free standard flu shots from the University of Nevada School of Medicine (UNSOM) beginning at 4 p.m. This is the fifth year the UNSOM has donated the flu shots to diners at the Club and only minimal paperwork is required to obtain the vaccination. Also, bring down the whole family for free family photos along with free youth fingerprinting and I.D. kits and a special letter-writing station for those who may be unable to spend time with family this holiday season. Venture Telecom will provide telephones for our guests to make calls home to wish loved ones a happy holiday.

In addition, all Bully’s locations are now accepting donations of new gloves, socks and hats to benefit children at the Boys & Girls Club, through Nov. 22. Donation bins are in stores now and all items will be presented to the Club during the Thanksgiving Eve event.

Together, the Boys & Girls Club and Bully’s serve more than 1,000 community members each Thanksgiving Eve. Volunteers are crucial to the success of the evening and those who are interested in volunteering can contact Gayle Farley at gfarley@bgctm.org or by calling 775-331-3605 x 209.

An interview with Bully’s founder, the late Paul Sonner: