In the heart of downtown Salt Lake City, just days before Thanksgiving, there’s a spirit of service and compassion that filled the Salt Palace Convention Center — with a side of stuffing and cranberry sauce to go with it.
On Monday, the Larry H. Miller Company and the Miller family, along with state and local leaders, slipped aprons over their normal business attire to serve up Thanksgiving meals to thousands of Utahns experiencing homelessness and food insecurity.
A nearly 30-year tradition for the Miller family, the annual event not only provides Utah’s most vulnerable population with a piping hot meal, but also allows an opportunity for haircuts, to take advantage of community resources, enjoy children’s activities and more.
Cheylyn Thayne, a West Valley mom, said she’s been in and out of different shelters for most of her life, but this year has been especially rough for her family.
Thayne, who came to the event with her nearly 2-year-old son and daughter, said they are currently living with her grandparents after being kicked out earlier this year.
“We’d be in the shelter if they didn’t take us in,” she said.
Thayne said she, like thousands of other Utahns, felt the impact of the government shutdown’s halt on federal food assistance programs, and Monday’s early Thanksgiving meal and community resource event served up a little bit of light ahead of the holiday.
“I didn’t get food stamps until like last minute,” she told KSL.com. “So to come and eat, not worry about buying all the stuff for Thanksgiving, took a weight off my shoulders.”
Fresh off the government shutdown, on top of high costs of food and other goods impacted by inflation, Steve Miller, Larry H. Miller Company board chairman, said they understand that more families may be facing more challenges this year.
Miller said around 5,000 meals were served this year, which is more than they typically hand out.
“That’s a couple thousand more than we’re used to serving,” he said.
Such an increase signals Utah’s current homelessness climate.
Utah Rep. Tyler Clancy, R-Provo, believes events like these help build trust within a community.
“So the more people that are coming, you’re (also) recognizing that there’s more trust built in in the community with our homeless brothers and sisters, that they trust that this is a safe place to come in from the elements and share a good meal with people. And, you know, just enjoy, enjoy a night together,” Clancy said.
In a matter of weeks, the state will get another snapshot into the homelessness situation across Utah during the annual point-in-time count.
Data from the 2025 count recorded an 18% jump from the prior year in homelessness.
Clancy, who was appointed late last month as the state’s new homeless coordinator, praised the Miller group’s yearly event for going beyond a holiday feast.
“Seeing the diversity of resources is not just about a meal — although that’s important, they’ve got everything from legal resources to education and even activities for children. And so I love just the strong sense of community that it brings to our state,” he said.
The Fourth Street Clinic in downtown Salt Lake City was one of the many organizations on hand Monday evening.
The clinic already helps thousands of Utah’s unsheltered with medical needs year after year.
CEO Janida Emerson said vaccinations, behavioral health services, and medical check-ups are crucial, even as people transition out of homelessness.
“I think some of the challenges that exist are that once you become housed, you still need to be able to access health care services, and that’s really what Fourth Street is there for — individuals who are currently homeless, and then individuals who have transitioned into housing,” she said.
Thayne, who recently turned 33, said she hopes to obtain her own housing someday, but she said it’s been a struggle as she continues to be waitlisted. The mother said her toddler son is in an early head start program, which helps as a form of day care while she tries to look for work.
“It’s really been really hard this year though — I tried working, and then my kids weren’t going to school and I had to quit,” she said. “It’s just been, like crazy.”
In addition to Monday’s meal serving, during the month of November, the Larry H. Miller platforms and businesses hosted a clothing drive to collect new and gently used warm clothing for the Salt Lake City Mission to distribute. Employees from the Larry H. Miller Company, the Miller family, Larry H. Miller Real Estate, Miller Sports + Entertainment, Larry H. Miller Senior Health, and other businesses were part of the initiative, according to a news release.