Salvation Army Provides Thanksgiving Dinner

By Melissa Maynarich, NEWS 9

The Salvation Army works all year to meet basic human needs, including providing clothing, shelter and food without discrimination.

Putting a Thanksgiving dinner on the table for a couple thousand people requires hard work.

Work that people who are behind the scenes at the Salvation Army do with diligence knowing that the need in Oklahoma is great.

"Just across the board in the past year we've seen about a 20 percent increase in people coming to the Salvation Army," Heidi Brandes of the Salvation Army said.

Supplies have to be transferred from the Salvation Army Warehouse, as stacks of pumpkin pies and pecan pies are piled high. There are many people who are hungry on Thanksgiving Day, the organization dedicated to doing God's good work, also needs a bit of help preparing.

"We have a wonderful company named Urban Catering that actually cooks the turkeys for us," Brandes said. "Hundreds and hundreds of turkeys have to be cooked."

Frozen turkeys are also given away to families who want to cook Thanksgiving Dinner at home. Shopping carts are filled with everything needed for a proper holiday meal, and although this is really just another day on the calendar, similar to any other day that people go hungry, people who work at the Salvation Army said it's special.

Everyone who has had a hand in making this Salvation Army Thanksgiving dinner possible is making a difference for absolutely everyone else who gets to eat here.

"It doesn't matter who they are," Jim Yell of the Salvation Army said. "If they don't have anything, or if they need a coat, or if they need something to eat, that's why we're here."

Oklahomans counted their blessings together this Thanksgiving.