The annual Community Thanksgiving Dinner is in urgent need of volunteers and food donations, organizers say, three weeks before the holiday.
The free meal will be served from 12:30 p.m. to 3 p.m. on Thanksgiving Day at First United Methodist Church, 212 E. Wabash Ave., Crawfordsville. Delivery is available. Organizers expect to dish out up to 1,200 meals.
“We are looking forward to a wonderful day of sharing the Lord!” chairpersons Mark and Sheila Zachary wrote in a letter to supporters.
At least 50-60 volunteers are needed to decorate and set up the dining room, prepare and serve food, deliver meals, seat and serve guests, clean and reset tables and clean up the facility.
It takes an estimated 60 cooked and carved turkeys, 50 six-pound, five-ounce cans of green beans, 30 26.7 ounce boxes of Hungry Jack instant potatoes, 30 six-pound, five-ounce cans of applesauce and cranberry sauce, 100 dozen rolls, pies and an assortment of desserts to feed everyone, the Zacharys said.
Chicken broth, evaporated milk, onions and celery are also needed to make the mashed potatoes, noodles and dressing. All other food items and paper products will be purchased from monetary donations.
To volunteer, prepare or donate food, call the Zacharys at 765-376-9624 or 765-376-4365 between 9 a.m. and 10 p.m.
Monetary contributions can be sent to Community Thanksgiving Dinner, P.O. Box 23, Crawfordsville, IN 47933. Make checks payable to “Community Thanksgiving Dinner.”
