Thanksgiving Feast Makes A Difference for Hundreds of Families

By Melissa Maynarich, NEWS 9

OKLAHOMA CITY -- The Salvation Army has already started preparing for their big Thanksgiving feast next week and are hoping their hard work will make a difference in lives of hundreds of Oklahoma families.

Before giving thanks, cooks are busy in the kitchen at Urban Catering preparing a Thanksgiving meal for 1,600. The holidays can be a tough time for many families. That's why the Salvation Army serves a turkey dinner every year for the Thanksgiving holiday.

With the help of a contracted out catering company, The Salvation Army has found what works best to serve hundreds of Oklahomans at one time.

"There's really no down time when it comes to Thanksgiving. The closer you get, they're always working. There's always something going on," said John Riesenberg, Urban Catering.

It takes 600 pounds of turkey, 750 pounds of mashed potatoes, lots of stuffing, tons of gravy, and 25 gallons of cranberry sauce to feed hungry Oklahomans, who may have otherwise gone without.

"The holidays are not always happy times for everyone, so we do have a lot of people who become emotional. As I said before, very appreciative for not only what we do, but the way we do it," said Antoinette Hysmith-Sanders, The Salvation Army.

Inside the Coca-Cola events center, each table is served a warm Thanksgiving meal, no buffets or waiting in line. All the fixings are brought right to each person.

"While they're there, we have an opportunity to float in and out and find out what those other needs are. So a lot of the people that we see on Thanksgiving Day will become regular social services clients," Hysmith-Sanders said.

Oklahomans are working together to make a difference one pound of turkey at a time.