Late Saturday afternoon, an Occupy Denver protester shouted: “Tell the Christians over there to come do their civic duty.”
But the Christians across Civic Center at the foot of city hall were too busy feeding the hungry, poor and homeless.
David Clifton Ministries Inc. was dishing up turkey dinner and all the fixings for more than 10,000 people.
The ministry’s namesake walked up to the knot of protesters about 5 p.m. and invited them all over for turkey. More than a few took him up on it.
From noon until about 6 p.m., while a band played raucous Christian rock, volunteers served up enough meat, dressing, rolls, mashed potatoes and desserts to bend each paper plate to its limit.
“We busted last year’s record of 8,654,” Clifton said at 3:30 p.m. “We’ve served 10,268, and it looks like about 100 are left in line.”
He said more than 40 churches and 1,000 volunteers were involved in putting on the feast.
Clifton has been offering this early outdoors Thanksgiving for the needy for 16 years. He said he tried to pick up where Denver restaurateur “Daddy” Bruce Randolph and his family had left off.
“We’ve done it in sunshine,” musician Doug Murphy said from the bandstand. “We’ve done it in 20-degree weather. Last year it snowed on us.”
This year the weather was mild, but Denver police warned Clifton that his event could get caught up in a possible clash with nearby protesters. Clifton promised officers he would feed as many protesters as much turkey as possible to help pacify them.
“The more turkey I can get in bellies, the better,” Clifton said. “I want them to come over so they can occupy Jesus, or Jesus can occupy them.”
Clifton also runs the Carpenter’s Cupboard food bank in Wheat Ridge, which he said helps feed about 5,000 families a month.
“We really need more donations of canned food,” he said.
Electa Draper: 303-954-1276 or edraper@denverpost.com
