All county residents invited to dinner

Salvation Army offers Thanksgiving meal next Wed.

Published Wednesday, November 18, 2009

The Albert Lea Salvation Army is inviting the Freeborn County community to attend its second annual Thanksgiving dinner a week from today at the Fairlane Building of the Freeborn County Fairgrounds.

Local Capts. Jim and Lee Brickson said the meal is not only for the less fortunate, but also for those who want to celebrate the time as a community.

“We want to have the feel of going to grandma’s and celebrating with our families,” Capt. Jim Brickson said. “This meal is not to single out just the less fortunate but to be inclusive of all of those that want to be family.”

That is why organizers intentionally planned it for the day before the holiday.

The meal will be from 5 to 7 p.m. Nov. 25.

Last year, the Albert Lea Salvation Army served more than 400 hot Thanksgiving meals to Albert Lea community members at its location at 302 Court St. The event is moved to the Fairlane Building this year to better accommodate more people at one time.

Local vendors are showing their support by getting involved in not only donating food but preparing it as well.

Vendors participating include Mrs. Gerry’s, Piggy Blues, Hy-Vee, Celebrations Party & Gifts, and The Restaurant Warehouse of Austin.

Brickson said the organization has been flooded with calls from area residents wanting to volunteer for the meal.

“We welcome the support from our community; however, we want everyone to be able to participate in the event,” he said.

The organization switched to hosting the Thanksgiving community dinner last year in lieu of giving away baskets of food for the holiday.

“It’s about building a stronger community,” Brickson said last year of why the organization decided to have the dinner. It also allowed the organization to provide the same service of a Thanksgiving meal to more people for less funds.

The meal comes at the start of the Salvation Army’s annual Red Kettle Campaign, which this year has the goal of raising almost $172,000.

Volunteers will start ringing bells on Friday and Saturday at Hy-Vee and Nelson’s Market Place, and then on Monday will be the actual kettle kickoff at Northbridge Mall.

On Nov. 26, volunteers will begin ringing bells at Shopko, Northbridge Mall and Walmart in addition to Hy-Vee and Nelson’s.

As of Tuesday, 618 out of 1,554 bell-ringing hours were filled. That means there is still 60 percent of the volunteer hours left to fill. Generally, Walmart is the most difficult location to fill.

For questions about the Thanksgiving dinner or to become a bell ringer, contact The Salvation Army at 373-5710.

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