The Union Coon Creek Baptist Church west of Trenton will serve free meals during its 24th Annual Thanksgiving Dinner on November 28th.
Doors to the church will open to the public that morning at 11 o’clock, and no reservations will be taken for seats at the church.
Dianna Crawford is the wife of the pastor at the Union Coon Creek Church and says volunteers will start cooking food Thanksgiving morning around 5:30 or 6 o’clock and get ready for delivering meals.
Meals will be delivered to families who order them, law enforcement, the fire department, and others working on Thanksgiving. Delivered meals will consist of turkey, mashed potatoes, homemade noodles, green beans, a hot roll, and a piece of pumpkin pie. There will be extra salad, vegetables, and desserts for those eating at the church.
Crawford says community members can volunteer in the days leading up to Thanksgiving by picking off turkeys that Monday, Tuesday, and Wednesday morning at 6 o’clock. It takes about 10 to 15 volunteers to get the turkeys and other food prepared.
There will probably be 18 to 20 delivery routes for the dinner, and 25 to 30 workers will get the delivery orders ready to go out. Crawford asks that route drivers bring coolers if they have them and be at the Union Coon Creek Church on Thanksgiving morning at 9 o’clock. The church has a few coolers it can provide to drivers who do not have them.
While the Thanksgiving dinner is free, anyone who would like to donate before or the day of the meal can do so to help cover costs. Some donations have already been made.
The number of deliveries has varied from 500 to 750 in past years, and 200 to 350 meals have been served at the church.
Delivery orders for this Thanksgiving started coming in about two weeks ago, and she anticipates serving around the same number of meals this year. She says “a lot of people are hurting”, and she does not want families to be too proud to order a meal.
The church would like orders to be called in by November 25th or 26th, but they can still be turned in November 27th. Any area resident who would like to order a meal, donate, or volunteer, especially for a route, for the Union Coon Creek Baptist Church Thanksgiving Dinner November 28th should contact Dianna Crawford at 660-359-3094.
Callers who leave a message should give their name and phone number, so Crawford can call back to confirm the information.
