Welcome Table: Savannah's shelters prepare Thanksgiving meals for those in need
For Thanksgiving, homeless shelters in Savannah are coming together to provide meals to our neighbors experiencing homelessness and food insecurity.
Union Mission
On Nov. 22, Union Mission will host a community-wide Thanksgiving Meal in the parking lot of Union Mission’s Parker’s House facility,125 Fahm St., said Suzanne Willis, director of marketing and development. The dinner, which will be sponsored by Gulfstream and Sodexo, will be free men, women and children in the community who partake of Union Mission's services as well as those in-need. In total, Union Mission will prepare 500 Thanksgiving meals with all the traditional fixings ― turkey, potatoes, green beans and pie. More than 30 volunteers will cook and serve at the event.
“We’ve been here since 1937, and we’ve been serving meals on the holidays for decades,” said Union Mission CEO Mike Traynor. “It's a pretty busy time, and it's a great opportunity to give hope and compassion to individuals to the most vulnerable in our community.”
Union Mission's clothing closet also will be available to distribute shirts, pants, shoes, socks and additional cold-weather gear. There will be a free giveaway for those in-need of shirts, pants, shoes and jackets. J.C. Lewis Healthcare will provide flu and COVID-19 vaccines. Compassion Christian Church will distribute bagged food items for people to take with them.
Old Savannah City Mission
Like Union Mission, Old Savannah City Mission will host an event on Thanksgiving Day. Old Savannah City Mission is planning to feed 1,500 to 2,000 people in need, though they will have enough to feed 3,000, if necessary. The meal will be served at Old Savannah City Mission at 2414 Bull St.
“We'll have a lot leftover, we'll donate that and send that home in food boxes, to let them take food wherever they’re going,” said Keith Picklesimer, director of development for Old Savannah City Mission.
Every year, Old Savannah City’s Mission’s recipe comes from Paula Deen, and includes turkey, gravy, corn and green beans, said Picklesimer. Old Savannah City Mission’s staff, in addition to 50 volunteers who will sit with those in-need, will be providing the hot meals.
On each of the tables will be a note that reads: “Enjoy, God bless you."
“We're gonna have those all over the tables to let them know that people that don't know you never seen, and never met you, still love you," said Picklesimer.
“You can't talk to a man about his future,” added Picklesimer. “When the present his stomach's empty right now you can't do it because the only thing he's concentrating on is getting something to eat.”
Other meal events
Feed the Hungry Thanksgiving Dinner, 4 p.m., Nov. 21, John S. Delaware Center, 35th and Lincoln St., savannahfeedthehungry.net
Emmaus House Breakfast, 8:30 to 10 a.m. Monday-Friday, 18 Abercorn St., unitedministriessavannah.org
Drew Favakeh is the public safety and courts reporter for Savannah Morning News. You can reach him at AFavakeh@savannahnow.com.
This article originally appeared on Savannah Morning News: Savannah's shelters to feed thousands on Thanksgiving meals
