Press
Veridian, UAW serve more than 900 at Mike and Leona Adams Thanksgiving Dinner
WATERLOO, IA (November 25, 2014) — Veridian Credit Union joined United Auto Workers (UAW) Local 838 to host the Annual Mike and Leona Adams Thanksgiving Dinner on Monday, November 24. Volunteers prepared a feast at the UAW Local 838 Union Hall for more than 565 people seeking a free hot meal and companionship. The Northeast Iowa Area Agency on Aging delivered an additional 350 dinners to its current Meals On Wheels recipients. In total, the event served a free meal to 915 people this year.
Former Veridian board member Mike Adams and his wife Leona established the free annual dinner in 1982, when tough economic times were impacting many Iowans. Thirty-two years later, though both Mike and Leona have passed, the tradition that still bears their name has grown. Those who attended this year were also offered a free haircut from Clip Art Corner, blood pressure check from Cedar Valley Hospice and transportation from Cedar Falls, Evansdale or Waterloo by Metropolitan Transit Authority of Black Hawk County.
“Mike and Leona left a legacy of service to others,” said Veridian’s Community Inclusion Manager, Angela Weekley. “They set an example for all of us to strive for, and it’s still who Veridian aspires to be as an organization. It’s important that we join in the effort to carry on that legacy.”
An event that benefits so many also requires support from many. Businesses involved include: Veridian Credit Union, UAW Local 838 Union Hall, A & P Food Equipment, Anderson Erickson Dairy, Cedar Valley Hospice, Clip Art Corner, Martin Bros. Distributing Co., Inc., Metropolitan Transit Authority of Black Hawk County, Myers-Cox Co., Northeast Iowa Area Agency on Aging, Special Occasions Party and Event Rental, The Women’s Auxiliary of UAW Local 838 and University Hy-Vee.
Veridian Credit Union, founded in 1934 in Waterloo, Iowa, is a not-for-profit financial cooperative owned by its members. The credit union offers a full range of business and consumer financial services and employs more than 600 people throughout 26 branches, including 13 in the Cedar Valley. For more information, visit veridiancu.org or call (800) 235-3228.
Photo Attached: Veridian Credit Union staff joined UAW Local 838 retirees on Monday to serve 915 meals for this year’s Mike and Leona Adams Thanksgiving Dinner. Five hundred sixty-five of the meals were served at the UAW Local 838 Union Hall, and another 350 were delivered to Northeast Iowa Area Agency on Aging’s current Meals On Wheels recipients.