You might be stressing a bit over the thought of preparing Thanksgiving dinner for your large family and extended relatives. I know my wife and middle son will be slaving in the kitchen at The Watson Compound this holiday. Luckily, they’re cooking only for about 10, not thousands.
During your time off over the next few days, you might want to take a time out and count your blessings at some point. And maybe think of joining us in one of my family’s holiday traditions, since we’ve got plenty to be thankful for.
My family will be delivering meals for those less fortunate and those unable to get out on their own on Thanksgiving morning this year. We usually do the food delivery for the South Side Mission on Christmas, but won’t be able to this year, so we decided to switch to the other big holiday in which the SSM prepares and delivers thousands of meals.
South Side Mission has been helping those who need a “hand up, not a hand out” since 1925 in various capacites, mainly as a shelter for women and children. But the SSM has expanded its programs over the years, too many to mention here. SSM does its good work mainly in the South end of Peoria in the 61605 zip code, one of the poorest zip codes in our country. Their annual budget for their numerous programs is $4 million, all of it is from donations, no government money is accepted.
On Thanksgiving and Christmas, the organizations that help feed the needy daily are closed to allow their families to enjoy the holidays. So, SSM picks up the slack on those days and does it up in a big way. But with organizations like Meals on Wheels closed, they need help in delivering those meals. That’s were volunteers like me and you step in.
This Thanksgiving, The Mission is preparing 3,500 delicious meals, 3,300 of which will be delivered. I’ve sampled the food over the years there, and it’s pretty awesome. Their culinary school, which helps place grads into real jobs in the food and catering industry, cooks up a restaurant-worthy meal. This year, the Chef’s holiday shopping list included:
1,200 pounds of turkey
700 pounds of cranberries
25 cases of cut green beans
12 cases of mashed potatoes
15 cases of cornbread stuffing mix… and the list goes on.
So, consider helping those less fortunate on these holidays. My contact is Patricia Moten at The Mission, the main office phone number on Laramie Street is 676-4604. And click on their Facebook page HERE for more info, too. Happy Thanksgiving!
Doc Watson
