Volunteers help Parkersburg Salvation Army ready Thanksgiving dinners
Susan Aufdenkanpe and Melanie Huffman volunteer Tuesday in the kitchen at the Parkersburg Salvation Army to help prepare the annual Thanksgiving meal that will be given out on Thursday at 534 Fifth St. in Parkersburg. The two were helping to cook the green beans. (Photo by Brett Dunlap)
Willow Somerville, Rachel Farnsworth and Anabelle Schmidt of the Vienna Baptist Church Youth Group helped pack rolls Tuesday at the Parkersburg Salvation Army in preparation for the annual Thanksgiving meal. (Photo by Brett Dunlap)
Maddie Farnsworth of the Vienna Baptist Church Youth Group helped put rolls into plastic bags as volunteers helped get meals together Tuesday at the Parkersburg Salvation Army. The Salvation Army is preparing around 1,500 meals to be given out and delivered on Thanksgiving Day this Thursday. (Photo by Brett Dunlap)
Susan Aufdenkanpe and Melanie Huffman volunteer Tuesday in the kitchen at the Parkersburg Salvation Army to help prepare the annual Thanksgiving meal that will be given out on Thursday at 534 Fifth St. in Parkersburg. The two were helping to cook the green beans. (Photo by Brett Dunlap)
Willow Somerville, Rachel Farnsworth and Anabelle Schmidt of the Vienna Baptist Church Youth Group helped pack rolls Tuesday at the Parkersburg Salvation Army in preparation for the annual Thanksgiving meal. (Photo by Brett Dunlap)
Maddie Farnsworth of the Vienna Baptist Church Youth Group helped put rolls into plastic bags as volunteers helped get meals together Tuesday at the Parkersburg Salvation Army. The Salvation Army is preparing around 1,500 meals to be given out and delivered on Thanksgiving Day this Thursday. (Photo by Brett Dunlap)
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PARKERSBURG -- Volunteers this week have been preparing for the Parkersburg Salvation Army's annual Thanksgiving Dinner.
Volunteers gathered each day at the Salvation Army on Fifth Street. Volunteers on their own, from local churches, from local businesses and from elsewhere came to help prepare and pack meals that will be given out Thursday.
''We have a bunch of volunteers here from different organizations,'' said Lt. Anthony Rowe, commanding officer of the Parkersburg Salvation Army.
A youth group from Vienna Baptist Church was helping put meals together on Tuesday while other volunteers were cooking green beans. Volunteers Monday fixed stuffing.
Rowe said they got the turkeys Monday from the WVU Medicine Camden Clark Medical Center where the turkeys were cooked.
The medical center and its dietary team provided and prepared 680 pounds of turkey breast and over 1,500 slices for the Salvation Army's annual Thanksgiving Dinner, hospital officials said in a statement.
The Parkersburg Salvation Army is preparing around 1,500 meals for Thursday, Rowe said.
The menu this year includes turkey, mashed potatoes/gravy, stuffing, green beans, a roll and a piece of pumpkin pie for dessert.
''We have turkey this year instead of ham,'' Rowe said of the turkey shortage last year. ''I think everyone will be happy.''
The Salvation Army will make from 500-600 meal deliveries on Thursday starting from around 10 a.m. to 11:30 a.m.
The call-in period for deliveries is over. People can go to the Salvation Army at 534 Fifth St. and get a meal.
''We will be here and we will give you a meal,'' Rowe said.
The costs for the meals are paid for through community donations to the annual Kettle Drive and other fundraising efforts throughout the year. The meal remains an important part of the holiday for many people throughout the community,
The Salvation Army had many volunteers throughout the week.
Maddie Farnsworth of the Vienna Baptist Youth Group said she returned after doing it last year. She said it was important for her to be able to give something back.
Rachel Farnsworth of the youth group said she came to help others, also having volunteered last year.
''We can't take the things we have for granted,'' she said. ''I thought it was a good service to do for the community.''
Melanie Huffman of Vienna was in the kitchen Tuesday fixing green beans. She had always wanted to volunteer and this was her first chance to do it. Her granddaughter was part of the youth group and she brought her over.
''We just love doing this kind of thing to help others in need,'' she said.
Susan Aufdenkanpe of Little Hocking, Ohio also had never volunteered before. She works at Camden Clark and the hospital encourages its employees to be active in the community.
''It is well organized,'' she said of the setup and how the work is done. ''The people who coordinated it have it well laid out, the recipes are posted (in the kitchen) so we know what to do.''
After meal prep was done, many volunteers were helping get things ready for the Holiday Angel Tree program.
''It was a day of volunteering and it was great to see,'' Rowe said. ''It is different people doing what needs to be done.''
The Salvation Army has a number of employees, but they rely on volunteers to be able to do the meal every year.
The employees have their own jobs to do on a daily basis and responsibilities to meet. With Kettles and Angel Trees going on Rowe and his wife are each going in 50 different directions at once.
''If we didn't have these volunteers here, I'm not sure this Thanksgiving dinner would even happen,'' Rowe said. ''They are vital to what we do.''
Helping those in need is a calling through the Salvation Army, Rowe said.
''The people in this community see the need and they hear that calling too to just serve people with love and no discrimination and who are willing to serve,'' he said.
Brett Dunlap can be reached at bdunlap@newsandsentinel.com