Volunteers ready Salvation Army’s annual Thanksgiving Dinner
Emma Fleming, Maddie Farnsworth and Kim Farnsworth, of the Vienna Baptist Church, helped do meal preparation at the Parkersburg Salvation Army for Thursday’s annual Thanksgiving meal. The Salvation Army is preparing around 1,500 meals to be served as pickup dinners and deliveries on Thursday for Wood, Pleasants and Wirt counties. (Photo by Brett Dunlap)
Mindy Propst, of Belpre, was volunteering in the kitchen Tuesday at the Parkersburg Salvation Army to help prepare meals for Thanksgiving on Thursday. The Salvation Army is preparing around 1,500 meals to be served as pickup dinners and deliveries on Thursday for Wood, Pleasants and Wirt counties. (Photo by Brett Dunlap)
John Propst, of Belpre, was volunteering Tuesday at the Parkersburg Salvation Army helping to prepare food for the Salvation Army’s annual Thanksgiving Dinner on Thursday. (Photo by Brett Dunlap)
WVU Medicine Camden Clark Medical Center cooked 70 hams, totaling 520 pounds, which produced 3,000 portions of food for the Parkersburg Salvation Army’s annual Thanksgiving Day meal on Thursday. The Parkersburg Salvation Army will be doing pickup dinners and deliveries on Thursday as well as pickups in Pleasants and Wirt counties. The Parkersburg Salvation Army is only doing ham this year as there is a turkey shortage. (Photo Provided)
Emma Fleming, Maddie Farnsworth and Kim Farnsworth, of the Vienna Baptist Church, helped do meal preparation at the Parkersburg Salvation Army for Thursday’s annual Thanksgiving meal. The Salvation Army is preparing around 1,500 meals to be served as pickup dinners and deliveries on Thursday for Wood, Pleasants and Wirt counties. (Photo by Brett Dunlap)
Mindy Propst, of Belpre, was volunteering in the kitchen Tuesday at the Parkersburg Salvation Army to help prepare meals for Thanksgiving on Thursday. The Salvation Army is preparing around 1,500 meals to be served as pickup dinners and deliveries on Thursday for Wood, Pleasants and Wirt counties. (Photo by Brett Dunlap)
John Propst, of Belpre, was volunteering Tuesday at the Parkersburg Salvation Army helping to prepare food for the Salvation Army’s annual Thanksgiving Dinner on Thursday. (Photo by Brett Dunlap)
WVU Medicine Camden Clark Medical Center cooked 70 hams, totaling 520 pounds, which produced 3,000 portions of food for the Parkersburg Salvation Army’s annual Thanksgiving Day meal on Thursday. The Parkersburg Salvation Army will be doing pickup dinners and deliveries on Thursday as well as pickups in Pleasants and Wirt counties. The Parkersburg Salvation Army is only doing ham this year as there is a turkey shortage. (Photo Provided)
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PARKERSBURG -- Volunteers have been working this week to prepare for the Parkersburg Salvation Army's annual Thanksgiving Dinner.
Volunteers gathered each day this week at the Salvation Army on Fifth Street in Parkersburg to do the preparation of food to be able to give back to the community and help others.
The Salvation Army will be doing pickup dinners and deliveries on Thursday, said Captain Marjorie Rowe, Corps Officer for the Parkersburg Salvation Army. Deliveries will start around 10 a.m. and pickups will begin around 11 a.m.
''I think it is important for the Salvation Army to do, because Thanksgiving is such a big day for families and there are many people who don't have families to gather with,'' Rowe said. ''If we can give them a good solid meal for Thanksgiving then we are going to do it.
''There are a lot of people who wouldn't even have a meal so let's give them a good healthy and hearty meal for Thanksgiving..''
The Salvation Army will not be doing a sitdown dinner this year at the facility in Parkersburg, except for the people housed at their shelter, Rowe said.
''We are looking at feeding 1,500 people this Thanksgiving between Wood, Wirt and Pleasants counties,'' she said. ''It will all be deliveries and takeouts this year.''
The menu this year includes ham, mashed potatoes, dressing, green beans, cranberry sauce, a roll and pumpkin pie.
The WVU Medicine Camden Clark Medical Center cooked 70 hams, totaling 520 pounds, which produced 3,000 portions of food, hospital officials said. Rowe added that it made 56 pans of ham.
Salvation Army officials said they would not be doing turkey this year because of a shortage nationwide.
They have had a number of people from around the community volunteering with the meal preparation, Rowe said. On Thursday, she expects they will have over 50 volunteers who will be helping to deliver and serve food.
''This is bringing unity and community together,'' Rowe said of people coming in from area churches, Camden Clark and others from around the area.
John Propst, of Belpre, was volunteering Tuesday preparing food. He has helped at other Salvation Army locations in the past.
''I just wanted to do something for somebody else,'' he said. ''It gives you a good feeling.''
A youth group from the Vienna Baptist Church was also helping out with 10 students and three adults lending a hand.
''We are trying to share Christ in a loving way and one of those ways is just serving,'' said Youth Minister Bryson Morlan. ''Everyone needs help now and then. We have the ability and resources to help in this way. We are trying to show God's love through service.''
Emma Flemming, of the Vienna Baptist Youth Group, said she volunteers every year with the meal preparation.
''We love doing it and giving back and helping the community in that way,'' she said.
Community involvement goes a long way in putting this meal together and getting it served.
''By the time it is all done I say we will have had over 100 volunteers helping us,'' Rowe said. ''We will have a lot of volunteers who will be delivering for us.''
They will have over 400 homes they will be delivering to with many having more than one person living there. One home they will be delivering to has 10 people living there. Rowe is estimating they will end up delivering over 500 meals.
''It is such a big task, but with everyone working together it all just comes together,'' Rowe said.
Other meal locations are:
* Pleasants County Senior Citizens Center, 209 Second St., St. Marys; 304-684-9243. The Salvation Army is preparing 150 meals for Pleasants County. It will start at 10 a.m. -12 p.m. for delivery and pickup.
* Wirt County: Big Island Run Church, Meadowview Lane, Elizabeth; 304-588-4037. The Salvation Army is preparing 400 meals for Wirt County. It will start at 10:30 a.m. and will be pickup only.
People who want to volunteer at the Salvation Army in Parkersburg on Thursday are asked to contact 304-485-4529.