'The camaraderie is more important than the meal'
<p>Victoria Magistrale and Lasca Pulley share a laugh at The Fedora Pub and Grille on Thursday afternoon during the restaurant’s annual community Thanksgiving dinner. Magistrale and Pulley, along with an estimated 1,500 other residents of the community, were treated to a traditional Thanksgiving meal free of charge.</p>
COEUR d'ALENE - Sandra Conti, who recently moved to Coeur d'Alene, planned on visiting family in Shoshone County for Thanksgiving.
When those plans fell through and left Conti without a place to go, she turned to The Fedora Pub and Grille, which has been hosting a free community Thanksgiving dinner since it opened its doors four years ago.
Conti told The Press that while she was in line at the restaurant, a group of women saw she was alone and asked if she would like to sit with them.
"The camaraderie is more important than the meal itself on a day like today," Conti said.
For John Mallee, the owner of the Fedora, stories like Conti's are why he hosts the event. Mallee said the restaurant opened during tough economic times and if it wasn't for the support of the community, it would have folded.
"This is our way of paying it forward and thanking the community," Mallee said. "Everybody here is an extension of our family."
From 11 a.m. to 4 p.m., dozens of volunteers helped the estimated 1,500 people who attended have a cheerful holiday meal surrounded by live music and new friends. The staff of the Fedora volunteered their time in the two days leading to Thanksgiving in order to make it all happen.
"It shows me that they (employees) also want to be a part of the community and it's something I am very thankful for," Mallee said. "Without our volunteers and the donations and support from the community, we would never be able to do this."
Victoria Magistrale was one of the women who asked Conti to join their group for the meal. Magistrale and her friends are in the Union Gospel Mission recovery program and were able to leave the campus to celebrate Thanksgiving at the restaurant.
"It's touching and it's just something you don't see people do anymore" Magistrale said of the free meal. "I get to get out of the center and come here and enjoy Thanksgiving with the people I love. It's a beautiful thing."