Close to 200 Thanksgiving meals were served to people from different walks of life at the Salvation Army on Monday afternoon.
“We do this every year to show our appreciation and gratitude to the community and to the people who support us throughout the year,” said Tony Brushett, the Salvation Army’s executive director.
A chef and two assistants cooked the turkeys and prepared homemade dishes for the feast.
“The food was delicious and we received a lot of positive feedback from the guests. One guy insisted that the chef come out and he said this was the best meal he had this year,” said Brushett.
He said most of the attendees were from the vulnerable population, but the event was open to anyone. Some of the guests were not in financial need, but asked if they could join just to enjoy the company of others.
“So I thought that is just a chance to get out into the community and be with other folks from the community. So that was rather nice,” Brushett said.
The feast cost the Salvation Army around $2,400, which was covered by donations from generous people in Yellowknife.
They did not have any limits on how much food people could have, Brushett noted.
“We got one guy who wants three pieces of pumpkin pie. Sure. If you want it, you have it. Just let them walk away from here with a good feeling,” he said.
Brushett said he enjoys working for people who need a hand up and an hour of undivided attention.
“This is what gets me up in the morning,” he said, “doing things for people who are not asking for it. They just need a sit-down meal and someone who listens to them. Some of them, we don’t know what they’re going back to when they leave here. Some are homeless, others are living across the street in a hotel temporarily,” he said.
He said he also saw some families and friends coming together and having conversations at the tables, which reminded him of the traditional of Thanksgiving dinner.
“It is a form of a Thanksgiving dinner that we might be more used to, with all of our family members gathered together,” he said. “But here, we are all family in a way that we all have something to be thankful for, and it’s easy for us to let the negative feelings come to the forefront. But if we can stop for a couple of moments and realize the good things that are happening in our lives, that’s what Thanksgiving is all about.”
In addition, he mentioned that the grocery hampers donation that happened at the Co-op on Saturday hit its goal of 400 hampers, which are to be distributed to the community on Tuesday.
“This is our way of giving back to the community and spreading some joy and hope during this Thanksgiving season,” said Brushett.