The Thanksgiving Spirit

The Thanksgiving holiday saw full hearts and stomachs in Sheridan as many families celebrated the weekend with family gatherings and food. This was in no short supply as Amanda and Hawk Sample held their fourth annual Thanksgiving dinner for the public at the Big Horn Mountain Eagles facility at 1760 Commercial Avenue. The evening saw Amanda and Hawk Sample, as well as other volunteers, prepare a free Thanksgiving feast for the public. Food items included turkey, ham, mashed potatoes and gravy, corn, sweet potatoes, rolls, stuffing, cranberry sauce, and various pies.

Amanda Sample explained that she and her husband, Hawk Sample, moved here in 2017 after they retired from firefighting in Oklahoma. While in Oklahoma, the couple would prepare Thanksgiving dinners for their firefighting crew, which would be an enjoyable experience as they felt like family. Since moving here, the Samples have praised the community and felt inspired to carry that tradition here for the Sheridan Community. Since then, the Samples have been doing these Thanksgiving dinners for the public since 2018.

Sample described the preparation it takes to set up this event and how many people they cook for.

Sample also understood that because of the snowy conditions during Thanksgiving this year, she made the effort to deliver some of the food to houses and accept take-out orders for people who couldn’t make it to the dinner themselves.

The dinner attendees were also encouraged to donate money, which would go to a Christmas for Kids cause that the Samples like to partake in. Amanda explained how the donations from the Thanksgiving dinner help a Christmas for Kids cause happening at Coffeen Elementary in December this year.

The Samples had a good showing this year, but are even more excited for the years to come. More information about the charities they’re involved with can be found on her Facebook page, and if you are interested in volunteering for more causes like this, feel free to reach out to Amanda at 307-763-6840.