Groton - Seaman recruit Frank Manning didn't go home for Thanksgiving this year.

Manning, who is from Oklahoma City, Okla., comes from a big family. While this was the first time that he'd spent a holiday without them, he had another family to welcome him on Thanksgiving.

For 14 years, Barbara and Dik Glass have welcomed sailors into their home through the Adopt-a-Sailor program, which matches sailors with families to spend the holidays. Over the years, the Glass family has hosted sailors from around 20 states, predominantly from the Midwest, and some from California. They've had "guys that are real talkers and guys that are real quiet," Dik Glass said, adding that they once hosted a submarine cook who reflected on cooking for 120 people.

"We really thought it was important to give back to the young sailors who don't have any place to go, or who don't have any money to go back (home)," Dik Glass said, reflecting on how he and his wife got involved in the program. Their son, who is in the Navy and stationed in Japan, is another reason they got involved.

This year, Manning, 18, who is attending the Naval Submarine School in Groton, was one of their guests.

"It will be a good opportunity to meet some new people and have that family feeling again," he said earlier in the week.

A typical Thanksgiving for Manning involves a big group of family members gathering at a community center in Oklahoma "to eat, hang out and catch up." This year he joined 20-plus members of the Glass family at Barbara and Dik's house in Mystic. He wore his dress blues while the family wore formal attire. Though, Barbara Glass said, "it's formal, but in conversation and feeling, we're not a formal family."

Manning met several generations of the Glass family, and was invited to play in the family football game, which went late into the evening in Barbara and Dik's large backyard on the river.

Each year, Barbara said, the Glass family particularly looks forward to interacting with the sailors.

"The whole group looks forward to quizzing them about what they do and where they live, and how their families celebrate," she said.

Earlier in the week, Manning said that he was expecting to spend Thanksgiving with a "group of people who are caring and want to reach out and help the military."

Previously, the Morale Welfare and Recreation Department at the base ran the program. This year the Chaplain's office took over.

RPC Sharon Hay, with the chaplain's office, said they matched 36 sailors with 16 families. Hay said 33 families in total reached out. It's typical for the program to have more families than sailors.

"A lot of (the families) wanted to provide a sailor with an opportunity to have Thanksgiving with a family, especially those who don't have any family in the area," Hay said.

David Gruben, who also hosted sailors and a cadet from the Coast Guard Academy for Thanksgiving, said "They're very respectful sailors. It's always nice to have people who are appreciative and come over, and stretch out and enjoy themselves."

Seaman Nathan Dawson, 20, who participated in the program, said a few days before Thanksgiving that he expected the experience to be "something similar, if not better," than past Thanksgivings. He was anticipating "that home away from home" feel.

j.bergman@theday.com

Twitter: JuliaSBergman