WINNIPEG — One hundred pounds of vegetables, 125 turkeys, 400 pounds of potatoes: The Siloam Mission’s tables were set for its annual Thanksgiving meal for Winnipeg’s less fortunate.
Several assembly lines delivered hot holiday food to a record number of grateful guests on Monday.
“It’s the day we all give thanks for all the bounty in our lives,” said volunteer Don Cockrell, who has made volunteering at the shelter a Thanksgiving tradition. “The dinner is a way we share that bounty, by giving our time to those people.”
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On a day-to-day basis, individuals stop in for a meal at Siloam, but Thanksgiving is different, Cockrell said.
“Today is a family day. The feeling is togetherness, and the guests here really like the family together like we do at home.”
Early planning and the help of nearly 100 volunteers help make the meal happen without a hitch.
“We are doing this a year in advance,” said Siloam Mission executive director Floyd Perras. “We started planning about two months ago. It starts to run like clockwork after a while.”
“I don’t really have any place as to go,” one young man said. “As far as family, I don’t really do a Thanksgiving, so coming out here, it’s awesome.”
There were 1,125 guests at the hot holiday feast.
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