‘It feels good to help’: Salvation Army holds Thanksgiving dinner for hundreds in Gresham community
PORTLAND, Ore. (KOIN) — Some families are struggling to make ends meet, which is why the Salvation Army wants to make sure those families have something to eat for the holidays.
On Thursday night, the organization served hundreds of people dinner in Gresham.
The Salvation Army says some families have to decide whether they will have food on the table or buy gifts, which is why dinners like this one are so important.
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“It’s hard when you don’t have a family to go to for Thanksgiving,” said volunteer Arthur DeBolt. “Being able to help these people, it’s the best feeling in the world,”
The Salvation Army is seeing more and more families that need help with food.
“It’s heartbreaking for families to come to us and say either I buy dinner for my family or I buy Christmas gifts for my kids,” said Captain Iliana Montes with the Salvation Army Gresham Corps.
This is the first year the Salvation Army in Gresham has hosted Thanksgiving dinner for the community. They have been prepping for this event for over a month with the help of volunteers.
“It feels good to help people. There’s so many people that are hungry out there and can’t afford food,” said volunteer Katherine Pedersen.
“It makes me feel good that I’m feeding the community because there’s a lot of hungry people out there. It makes my heart warm that I can feed the people, especially the children,” added Kathy Carle.
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