Hollis family volunteers Li Moavenian, left, and Kristin Moavenian share a toast with a cup of apple juice to celebrate the extraordinary success of the 22nd Annual Harbor Care Thanksgiving Community Dinner. Photo by LORETTA JACKSON

NASHUA – Harbor Care, a regional nonprofit whose longtime mission is to help veterans, families and individuals facing homelessness or coping with other life challenges, hosted for a total of 281 guests its 22nd Annual Thanksgiving Community Dinner on Nov. 25 at Harbor Care headquarters on High Street in Nashua.

“We really enjoy bringing the community together for a warm meal in a tradition of 22 years,” said Henry Och, president and COO of Harbor Care and a professional with some two decades of experience in nonprofit healthcare.

“We share not only food, music and festivities but the resources for many other services we offer here,” Och added.

Dinner guests included families with children of all ages, teens and neighbors, senior citizens and veterans from Nashua and beyond. Local political representatives applauded the day and a crew from WMUR video recorded the appreciation of many who enjoyed the feast.

Dozens of volunteers manned tables along the perimeter of the spacious hall where diners selected fizzy sodas, chilled fruit drinks and wrapped squares of Lindt white chocolate.

Milford volunteers Jen and Ella Keating, right, took a turn at the 22nd annual Harbor Care Thanksgiving Community Dinner giveaway table, a perk that offered free holiday gifts of warm knit caps, mufflers and other winter gear for all ages. Photo by LORETTA JACKSON

Nearby, the bounty of a full Thanksgiving meal with all the fixings was provided by an amiable crew from the Common Man, a restaurant with six core locations and other affiliates whose fully embraced motto remains, “Since 1971 – Serving Proudly.”

Sean Brown, COO of the Common Man, perused the aromatic edibles, desserts and baked dinner rolls paired with gold-foiled squares of butter and expressed thanks to all the staff and volunteers whose efforts well satisfied everyone in attendance.

The menu included 130 pounds of turkey, 10 gallons of gravy, 70 pounds of squash and 100 pounds of mashed potatoes. Fifty pumpkin pies dolloped with whipped cream, or not, and 150 homemade apple cider donuts satisfied those with a sweet tooth.

“We’re here today at Harbor Care fulfilling a company legacy of offering helping hands in our communities,” said Brown. “We do well by doing good.”

More information on Harbor Care in Nashua is available online at harborcarenh.org.

Jessica "Songbird" Olson, a Litchfield energy worker and vibrational sound healer known for offering in-home and group healing sessions, plays for Thanksgiving dinner guests and enthralled attendee Alex Roy at the Harbor Care festivities in Nashua. Photo by LORETTA JACKSON

Volunteers David Anzalone and daughter Dylan Anzalone, age 7, offered families, veterans and neighbors freshly baked rolls and butter to accompany the recent traditional thanksgiving community dinner hosted by Harbor Care of Nashua. Photo by LORETTA JACKSON

Stu Davidson of Hollis gifted free tickets for raffle prizes that were a part of the bounty of a thanksgiving dinner at Harbor Care in Nashua that accommodated 281 veterans, families and friends from Nashua and beyond. Photo by LORETTA JACKSON

Dozens of Harbor Care volunteers including "Larissa" and ample staff from the Common Man restaurant family, providers of the fine fare gracing the traditional 22nd Annual Thanksgiving Community Dinner, served up all the favorites of a homestyle holiday meal. Photo by LORETTA JACKSON