Salvation Army serves up a Thanksgiving dinner for 200

The doors at the Salvation Army opened at 11 a.m. on Thanksgiving, and people poured in to enjoy the organization’s annual Thanksgiving dinner.

Capt. Allen Tanner said about 50 volunteers were divided up into shifts, with some arriving early in the morning to begin cooking, others arriving to serve the meal and yet others expected to be there for the cleanup.

Volunteers dished up turkey, gravy, dressing, potatoes, cranberry sauce, green beans and an assortment of desserts, while others passed out free

T-shirts, shoes and some other donated items to the guests.

“We couldn’t do this without them,” Tanner said.

One of the guests, Douglas Richardson, said he has always donated to the Salvation Army, and is now enjoying a meal with people from his neighborhood. As he walked away from the food line, he handed Tanner a small donation.

“They do so much good,” Richardson said. “They’ve helped so many people.”

Richardson, retired, single and living on Social Security and $16 a month in food stamps, said the meal will help him stretch his budget.

“I go to God’s Store-house once a month, but I didn’t want to get the Thanksgiving box yesterday because I figured it’s just me and I can go here to eat,” Richardson said.

Tanner said there were almost 200 guests last year, and he predicted that this year’s economy would drive more guests to the meal this year.

“We’ve seen an increase in our social services outreach,” Tanner said. “There are more people signed up for our Angel Tree program this year — there are already 800 families signed up for the Christmas food boxes, and more than 1,000 children eligible for the gift program.”

One change in the Angel Tree program this year is that the maximum age for a child to sign up is 10. Tanner said it used to be up to age 12, but by that age, the children are asking for expensive electronics and most people can’t afford to donate them.

Families that have applied for the food program will pick the food boxes up on Dec. 18, Tanner said, with the families eligible for food and toys picking up those items on Dec. 21.

• Thibodeau is a staff writer for the Danville Register & Bee.