Thanksgiving at the Salvation Army

Volunteers at the Salvation Army hustled to serve seated guests a hearty Thanksgiving meal; a tradition that’s gone on longer than anyone can remember.

Capt. Joleen Aycock, at the Salvation Army, said the organization serves between 250 to 300 people each year, including in-house and delivery. Around 40-50 volunteers work to cook, serve and deliver meals across the Lewiston-Clarkston Valley.

Aycock said the organization cooked around 320 pounds of turkey, 60 pounds of sweet potatoes and 40 pounds of green beans for the meal this year. The dinner was complete with turkey, mashed potatoes, gravy, sweet potatoes, green bean casserole, rolls, cranberry sauce and a plethora of pies.

“It’s a lot of work, but we love it,” Aycock said. “It takes a lot of food and partnerships. We’re grateful for the Gateway Church and Happy Day to help provide the meal this year.”

The church decided to have a sit-down meal, serving guests who waited at their tables. Aycock said the meal is meant to feel like a family dinner, where people can sit down to enjoy fellowship, friendship and interactions with others in the community.

“We wanted to make sure that everyone has a place to be on Thanksgiving, and to know they’re loved, cared for and belong somewhere,” Aycock said. “Sometimes the holidays can be a time where people are at their lowest. You think about the holidays and being able to spend time with your family and close friends, but that’s not accessible to everyone. We want everyone to have a place and know we care about them.”

Jenny and Thomas Trock, of Orofino, said they’ve been volunteering for the meal for around eight years. Jenny said the meal feels almost like a reunion because they only see the other volunteers once a year living outside the Valley.

“It feels kind of like family,” Jenny said. “We’re from Mississippi and don’t have family here. This is what we do on Thanksgiving.”

Jenny said the meal is an opportunity to bless others and share gratitude on Thanksgiving. She added it’s fun to serve the community and be family to some of the guests.

Some international students from Lewis-Clark State College came to volunteer at the dinner. Paige Noble-Lucas, of Australia, said she almost wished guests a “merry Christmas” when handing them drinks.

“We don’t have Thanksgiving where I’m from,” Noble-Lucas said. “It feels like Christmas but in November.

Andrea Cervantes, of Mexico, said in her culture family is close together and a community. She added seeing people come together at the dinner felt familiar, almost like going home.

Carisa Liebenberg, of South Africa, said it felt special watching everyone come together on the holiday. She said though many people don’t know each other, it was like anyone can talk to everyone like they’re already friends.

Jean and Doreen Woodin, of Lewiston, said it’s their first time coming out to the meal in years. Jean said his mother Doreen is 90, and it was a good opportunity to get her out of the house. She said she was thankful to eat something other than TV dinners.

“We wanted to be surrounded by beautiful people on a beautiful day,” Jean said. “It’s a great time to be thankful for everyone and everything.”

Mary Jackson and her neighbor Frank Dykes of Lewiston decided to come to the dinner together. Jackson said they both don’t have family locally and chose to celebrate Thanksgiving with the community.

“Thanksgiving is about being grateful, but also plugging in and reconnecting with people and the community around me,” Jackson said.

Pearce can be reached at epearce@dnews.com