Salvation Army to share feasts with public on Thanksgiving

Anyone home alone and unable to travel to family for Thanksgiving can receive a hot, traditional meal Thursday courtesy of the Salvation Army.

Volunteers will begin preparing food early in the morning at the charitable group's Cape Girardeau headquarters, Major Mary Thomas said. Doors at the headquarters, 701 Good Hope St., will open about 11 a.m. and food will be served from 11:30 a.m. until 2 p.m., she said.

"Anyone who wants fellowship is welcome to come and enjoy a good meal," Thomas said.

Deliveries will begin shortly before the doors open, Thomas said. In addition to shut-ins, the delivery service will also drop off meals at area fire stations to feed emergency workers who can't be with their families, she said.

The menu will include turkey, ham, stuffing, green beans, cole slaw and desert, Thomas said.

A traditional Thanksgiving meal will be available today at the Jackson Senior Center, 2690 Traveler's Way, said Jean Mason of the center.

The center provides meals for retirees and the disabled and asks for a $3 donation, Mason said. Family members may join anyone coming to the center for a meal, she said, but the center requests that they donate $4.50 for their meal.

The area senior centers, which provide Meals on Wheels programs, will not be delivering Thursday. Many seniors have received an extra meal they can heat at home, she said.

Anyone who is homebound and living within about a 20 mile radius of the Salvation Army headquarters can request a meal delivery, Thomas said.

Between 200 and 300 meals were delivered last year on Thanksgiving, she said. The deliveries will begin before the headquarters doors open, she said.

And the coat room where families can find warm clothing for their children will also be open, Thomas said. The Coats for Kids program collected between 2,000 and 3,000 coats last weekend, she said. Parents may select coats for their children today or Thursday.

The coat room will also be open next week, Thomas said.

The delivery service will be taking sign-ups today and Thursday morning, Thomas said. The actual delivery area will be determined by the requests and the willingness of volunteers to travel, Thomas said.

Anyone needing a meal delivered Thursday can call the Salvation Army at 335-7000, she said.