Yesterday, I blogged about celebrities taking time to serve up a Thanksgiving dinner to the needy. But, celebrities weren’t the only ones giving up their time and money to serve those who were hungry.
In Albany, New York, Equinox, a community service organization, offer up its 42nd annual Thanksgiving dinner to about 9,000 people. About 500 showed up at the First Presbyterian Church to eat while another 8,500 meals were delivered to homebound residents. About 3,500 volunteers showed up to help prepare the meal which included almost 7,000 pounds of turkey, almost 3,000 pounds of potatoes, 2,350 pounds of green beans, 2,000 pounds of ham, 3,200 pounds of yams, 400 gallons of gravy, 9,000 dinner rolls, and 1,100 pies. The first volunteers to deliver meals to the homebound showed up as early as 4 a.m.
Among those there to help serve were NY Governor Andrew Cuomo and his three daughters.
In D.C., the Four Seasons Hotel was serving up Thanksgiving dinner to police, firefighters, and first responders for the twelfth year in a row. Saying thanks to those that save lives every day, the staff and volunteers cooked 300 pounds of turkey, 200 pounds of stuffing, and 100 pounds of sweet potatoes. Hotel manager Yvette Thomas said, “People who put their lives at risk for others…there’s something amazing and incredible about them.”
Not too far away in Arlington, Virginia, the Knights of Columbus brought together 200 cooks, carvers, and servers to help feed almost 1,800 people. This is the 27th year the Knights have hosted this dinner for those who otherwise might go without.
In Savannah, Georgia, the Salvation Army had its 111th dinner for the community. The Salvation Army served dinner all over the country including in Newark, Ohio, Lexington, Kentucky, Cape Girardeau, Missouri, Phoenix, Arizona, Somerville, NJ, Orlando, Florida, and San Diego, California.