Quincy Salvation Army prepares for Thanksgiving community dinner

QUINCY (WGEM) - Quincy Salvation Army volunteers are preparing to serve over 300 people for a Thanksgiving community dinner.

Workers have been preparing for this meal all week, cooking 20 turkeys and sides like mash potatoes, green beans, and stuffing.

“We start on Monday to cook the Turkeys, that’s the very first thing that we do,” said Kroc Center Operation Director Chad Rodgers. “Today being Wednesday is the day we put all the sides together and really start bringing the meal together as a whole. Then we coordinate with our volunteers that come in on Thursday to help us put the meal together.”

Rodgers and his family have helped serve Thanksgiving meals at the Kroc Center for the past 12 years.

Preparing a meal for over 300 people means they need all the help they can get.

“The Salvation Army needs an army of volunteers to make an event like this happen, so could we definitely not do it alone or without the help of volunteers,” Quincy Salvation Army Major Shelley McClintock said.

This year they had 12 volunteers help set up the dining hall and prepare the meal.

With over 16 hours of preparation put in, workers are ready to serve members of the community.

“This Thanksgiving meal isn’t just for people who can’t necessarily afford a Thanksgiving meal, but it’s also for people who just don’t want to be alone,” McClintock said. “People who want the fellowship and friendship of other people in their community.”

Meals are being served at 11 and 11:45 a.m. in the dining hall of the Kroc Center.

McClintock said all are still welcome to join even if you don’t have a reservation.

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