OMAHA, Neb. (KMTV) — Thanksgiving Day is just around the corner, and the Salvation Army wants to make sure everyone has a Thanksgiving dinner that day.
The Salvation Army is preparing for its 30th annual TurkeyFest, where they bring a meal to those in need on Thanksgiving Day. It's a feast that consists of all the Thanksgiving favorites.
Registration to get that meal is currently open and will be until noon on November 18th, one week before Thanksgiving Day.
To qualify for one of the 1,200 meals, you must be 60 years of age or older and homebound on Thanksgiving.
What makes the event happen is the volunteers. The Kroc Center at 28th & Y Streets serves as both the kitchen and the distribution hub for the meals.
Salvation Army is still looking for people in the community to lend a hand on Thanksgiving Day.
“There’s some meal prep that you could do. You can help us prepare the meal and get it all shelled up and put together for each meal, or you can help us out by being a driver,” Salvation Army Western Divisional Commander Major Greg Thompson said.
It's an opportunity to give back on the most thankful day of the year.
“What happens is the volunteers who come in and help us prepare, they’re thankful for this opportunity. The folks who deliver the meals end up in this thankful moment that they can be intentional in somebody’s life. Then you get a meal delivered to somebody who is a shut-in, and they end up being very thankful because somebody thought of them, or they had an opportunity to have a meal come to them,” Thompson said. “It’s one of those moments where we can all say, ‘Hey, we’ve done something that says we’re thankful today.’”
The Salvation Army says they are being extra precautions when it comes to COVID-19 and will be taking many steps to ensure everyone is safe, including mask requirements for all volunteers.
They also say that one group of volunteers called the Telephone Pioneers will have volunteered all 30 years after this one.
If you would like to volunteer, give the following phone number a call: 402-898-6000.
To register for one of the 1,200 meals, call: 402-898-6023.
