Area volunteers bring cheer with holiday delivery

~ The Salvation Army packed more than 200 meals for people who couldn't cook for themselves or leave their homes.

Jan Rhodes wanted to cook a big Thanksgiving dinner for her son, daughter-in-law and grandchild. But she hurt her back Wednesday, so to keep her promise, she called on the Salvation Army to deliver the meal.

"I've got a turkey in the refrigerator and can't touch it," Rhodes said after three Southeast Missouri State University students dropped off the four Styrofoam containers loaded with ham, turkey, stuffing and other goodies.

Rhodes' central Cape Girardeau apartment was the second of four stops for Ellen Flesh, a senior education major, Kopper Thatch, a sophomore studying physical therapy, and Minnette Huck, a senior psychology major.

In all, they delivered 14 of the more than 200 meals packed by Salvation Army volunteers for people who couldn't cook for themselves or leave their homes for the holiday. One family received six dinners; at two stops the student volunteers left two meals.

The trio, community advisers who stayed in Cape Girardeau to watch over dorms during the Thanksgiving break, said the volunteer experience will make the meal planned with friends later in the day more meaningful.

"It is worth it to see somebody that happy," Thatch said after the first delivery.

For Bess Goza, 86, the delivery meant she could share a Thanksgiving dinner with her brother-in-law. Goza usually cooks her own meals, she said, but a complete holiday dinner was too much to handle.

Getting a little cheerful attention from the young women was an extra bonus, she said.

The delivery shows that there are people who care, which means a great deal for those who asked for a meal delivery, said Major Mike Thomas, who leads operations at the Cape Girardeau headquarters with his wife, Major Mary Thomas.

The volunteers delivered meals to rural homes and people in Scott City and Jackson as well as Cape Girardeau, he said. "For those who can't get out, to have people come and wish them a happy Thanksgiving is very important. And we make sure they get a good meal as well."

Southeast Missouri needed to keep dormitories open for students who live too far from home to travel for the holiday and to accommodate foreign students, Flesh said. And while they all could have gone home -- Flesh is from Farmington, Mo., Thatch's family lives in Cape Girardeau and Huck is from Ste. Genevieve, Mo. -- they all volunteered to stay.

They decided to go to the Salvation Army's headquarters at 701 Good Hope St. to help out any way they could, they said, and were sorting cans for in the food pantry when they were asked to deliver meals.

"People need to get into understanding what the holiday is about," Thatch said. "Yeah, I could go someplace where someone would cook for me."

In addition to the delivered meals, the Salvation Army was prepared to serve up to 600 meals at the headquarters. That meant cooking 50 turkeys, 20 hams, mixing 30 gallons of gravy and preparing 30 gallons of mashed potatoes, Thomas said.

And as volunteers ladled gravy onto the mashed potatoes for those coming through the line, others helped people find warm coats or sort through donated canned food.

The charitable group has received more than 800 requests for Christmas food baskets so far, Mary Thomas said. The pantry, though it seems full, will be depleted quickly and additional donations are needed, she said.

The volunteers helping Thursday had numerous reasons for giving their time. For physician Robb Hicks, his wife, Pat, and their son, Joe, it is part of the Thanksgiving tradition. This is the third year they brought their son to the Salvation Army to help.

With two grown children living in Nashville, Tenn., the Hicks family won't have a family Thanksgiving meal until Saturday. That left plenty of time to help out at the Salvation Army headquarters.

"We're here to teach our child that this is a day of giving," Robb Hicks said.

Volunteers and staff helping with the meal put off their own Thanksgiving dinner until the end of the day.

"We'll make sure everybody gets fed, then we'll eat," Major Mike Thomas said.

rkeller@semissourian.com

335-6611, extension 126