HELENA — On Wednesday, the Salvation Army in Helena was preparing to host its annual sit-down Thanksgiving dinner, which will be held on Thanksgiving Day from 11:00 a.m. to 1:00 p.m. MTN stopped by to see what goes into feeding hundreds of community members for the holiday.
Karen Frisbie was one of about two dozen volunteers helping transform the Salvation Army of Helena’s Gym into a festive setting for the organization’s annual free Thanksgiving meal. And explained how tables are set up to ensure attendees enjoy face-to-face company while having meals. “We set up each table with all the napkins, placemats, and silverware, and then tomorrow, when the dinner is served, there will be a greater.”
Major Brian West, with the Salvation Army, detailed what goes into ensuring that they get enough turkey for all those who show up.
“Monday and Tuesday, we received donations of turkeys. We have donors yearly, so we decided to collect some turkeys for up. We reached 65 turkeys donated yesterday. We had most turkeys in coolers for about three days, so we thawed and prepped them yesterday. Today, we’re cooking 14 turkeys to serve tomorrow,” said West.
Major West adds that those who can’t make the dinner in person and need a Thanksgiving meal will still be able to get it.
“We enjoy putting on this dinner where people can come in out of the cold and get a great meal. Some people even come to get a meal for someone else and take it back home. There are some volunteers that are going to pick up meals and take them to some people who can’t get out.”
According to Action Network, Montana was the second-cheapest state for purchasing a turkey this Thanksgiving, with an average cost of $17.79 per turkey.
