THUNDER BAY - With more than 500 pounds of turkey cooked, 300 pounds of potatoes and vegetables, and 60 litres of gravy, those who may not otherwise receive a hearty Thanksgiving dinner will surly walk away satisfied.
The Dew Drop Inn hosted its annual Thanksgiving dinner on Monday, where it expects to serve more than 580 people.
“We are offering a complete turkey dinner with all the fixings to the community,” said Michael Quibell, executive director of the Dew Drop Inn. “This is basically a meal for anyone in the community who is not going to have a turkey dinner for whatever reason, so they are welcome to come here.”
Those who stopped by were given the option of sitting down in the dinning room for a meal or to take a to-go bag with them.
“We are expecting to serve more than 500,” Quibell said. “I think we are the only place in town today offering this service. We cook more than 550 pounds of turkey, more than 300 pounds of potatoes and carrots, 60 litres of gravy.”
The Dew Drop Inn has been serving the community for 38 years and all the food is donated and prepared by volunteers.
“I think it’s very important because Thanksgiving is a time to thankful for and it’s just a lot of people can’t afford the expense of cooking a dinner or don’t have someone share the dinner with,” Quibell said. “We just want to make it a special day for everyone. So they have the opportunity to come here and enjoy the meal with us.”
This weekend saw Thanksgiving dinners being served by a variety of community organizations, including Shelter House on Saturday and the Salvation Army and Thunder Bay Fire Rescue on Sunday.
Quibell said it is heartwarming to see so many groups supporting people in need during this holiday season.
“It’s a good feeling,” he said. “I’m glad the Salvation Army and Shelter House is providing this service also. People are very grateful. Otherwise they probably wouldn’t have a turkey dinner. There is a lot of gratitude.”
“We are thankful for all the volunteers who help us,” Quibell added. “We simply could not do this meal without them.”
