The Salvation Army of Lubbock started preparing for their annual Thanksgiving dinner early this year by carving 200 turkeys Saturday morning.
“I brought it because I know a lot of people don’t really have as much food as we do and some people don’t have as much family as we do,” John Wilson Boys and Girls Club Volunteer Kelan Porter said as she donated a frozen turkey to the organization.
Along with Porter, other local residents and organizations donated time and resources to make their goal a reality for this holiday mission.
“We did a little part,” Lion’s Club Mike Massengale said. “I think we knocked out 10 to 12 turkeys so every little bit helps because that’s a lot of turkeys they’ll be serving.”
Massengale brought his son to the event to teach him what he said is the meaning of Thanksgiving.
“It’s not so much about what we get, it’s about what we give to others,” Massengale said. “If I can instill some of that in him, I can make him grow up to be a responsible young man and hopefully create that environment throughout his influence.”
The Salvation Army Thanksgiving feast will be held at the Memorial Civic Center on November 24 from 11 a.m. to 2 p.m.
Down the street the First United Methodist Church was finishing their food preparations and getting ready to serve for their 24th annual community-wide Thanksgiving dinner.
“We’ve had volunteers working for the last couple of weeks, recruiting volunteers, prepping the food, picking food and that sort of thing,” First United Methodist Church Director of Admission Sara Lattimore said.
Saturday’s meal had over 200 volunteers serve hundreds of Lubbock residents in need.
“We have so much to be grateful for and thankful for and we want to be able to provide that for everybody,” Lattimore said.
“Lubbock is a “we” kind of community,” Mayor Dan Pope said. “We help, we love, we care, we take care of others. We volunteer.”
