Milestone meal

For local fire fighters, serving Thanksgiving dinner is now a tradition more than a decade in the making.

The Thunder Bay Professional Fire Fighters Association served meal number 4,500 at the Salvation Army Sunday as the group wrapped up its 15 th annual dinner. Fire fighters and their families buy, cook and act as servers for more than 300 people every year.

“It really is a big day for us because we come out as families,” Scott Chisholm said.

The idea came about 15 years ago when the Salvation Army was serving food after a fire in Westfort. The charity said they’d really like to be able to host a Thanksgiving dinner. And so Chisholm and his colleagues got together and made it happen.

“I just said ‘well we can do that’ and that’s how it started,” he said. “It’s as simple as that.”

Salvation Army spokeswoman Gail Kromm said everyone has been so grateful that the fire fighters have been able to serve the meal for the past 15 years.

“It is a milestone,” she said. “If they weren’t doing it we wouldn’t be able to do it. Without their support I don’t think this would happen.”

Chisholm said the children of fire fighters have grown up with the tradition of serving the meal every Thanksgiving. And he’s seen the families who need the meal grow too.

“We’ve seen kids grow up here who have come for dinners and that’s kind of bittersweet on both sides; one that they need this meal but two that it’s good for us to be here to offer it.”