Many across the area will spend the next couple days preparing food for their Thanksgiving feast Thursday. The United Gospel Rescue Mission will be doing the same and is asking for the help of volunteers in preparation to feed more than 1,200 citizens who would otherwise not have a warm Thanksgiving meal.
Rescue Mission Director Rev. Greg Kirk said work will begin at 9 a.m. Monday with trimming 42 turkeys, dicing vegetables, prepping cranberry sauce and cutting 500 pounds of ham. This work will run until noon and pick up on Tuesday and Wednesday at the same times.
"This all happens to be ready for Thursday," Kirk said.
Thanksgiving dinner will be served to the public beginning at 11:30 a.m. at the Rescue Mission, 400 S. Broadway, and last until the last person comes through the line, Kirk said.
Plates will be served to anyone attending "restaurant style" to their table assembled to the person's preferences.
"We make it as nice as we can," he said.
Interested volunteers will be at the Rescue Mission hours before serving begins to cut pies and prepare mashed potatoes and gravy for the feast.
To help in the kitchen and prep serving trays on Thanksgiving day, Kirk said volunteers should arrive after 7:30 a.m.
"It's a busy, busy day and busy kitchen," Kirk said.
The Thanksgiving meal provided by the Rescue Mission is not limited to on site. If anyone is not able to make it to the Rescue Mission, meals will be delivered. To schedule a meal delivery, call the Rescue Mission by Tuesday at 785-4683 with the delivery location and number of meals. Kirk said no questions will be asked, the food will just be delivered.
In addition, meals are always delivered to the fire and police departments as well as EMS.
If any employer has a crew working Thursday, Kirk encourages them to schedule their employees a delivered meal as well. Volunteers interested in delivering meals should be at the Rescue Mission by 10:30 a.m. to line up and prepare for their routes.
If someone is interested in volunteering with the Thanksgiving dinner, but is not available to help all day, Kirk said any amount of time donated is much appreciated.
"You can come at 7:30 a.m. and help cut pies and then go home," Kirk said. "Come for an hour or come for the day, we will take anything."
Throughout the years, Kirk said he has seen a dedicated number of volunteers from the community who take time out of their own holiday to serve the community.
"I believe we will have about 300 volunteers," Kirk said. "Without the good volunteers there is no way this would happen."
When arriving to the area about 12 years ago, Kirk said about 900 community members were fed Thanksgiving dinner and that number has grown steadily each year.
Last year, Kirk said, about 1,200 people were fed, which included almost 700 to-go trays.
Food for the day will be provided from donations already received, but Kirk said donations are always greatly appreciated and the annual Christmas dinner will be quickly approaching.