In lieu of giving away baskets of food for the Thanksgiving holiday, the Albert Lea Salvation Army will host a Thanksgiving community dinner this year, open to anyone who wishes to attend regardless of income.

The dinner will be from 5 to 7 p.m. Nov. 26 at the Salvation Army headquarters on 302 Court St.

“It’s about building a stronger community,” Albert Lea Salvation Army Capt. Jim Brickson said of why the organization decided to have the dinner.

The idea of providing the holiday community meal is similar to the idea behind the group’s weekly community meal that is being put on at the headquarters each Wednesday at 11:30 a.m., Brickson said. The weekly meal is a fairly new event that has been met with much success.

The Thanksgiving meal is “piggy-backing” off of that idea, he said.

Albert Lea is unique from other communities he and his family have been in, he said, because it has many more community-building events. The dinner will be another opportunity to strengthen those efforts.

It will also allow the Salvation Army to provide the same service of a Thanksgiving meal to more people for less funds, he said.

Last year, the organization gave out more than 350 boxes during the Thanksgiving holiday to families in need, Brickson said. The boxes contained just enough food for a Thanksgiving meal, and cost the Salvation Army about $8,000.

At a time when more people than ever are coming in seeking help, any potential savings are welcome that way the group won’t have to cut services.

The dinner comes just a few days before the Salvation Army’s annual Red Kettle Campaign kickoff, which will begin efforts to raise this year’s Christmas goal of $133,000.

For questions about the Thanksgiving dinner or about volunteering as a bell ringer, call 373-5710.

Starting the weekend after Thanksgiving, the sound of bell ringers will be a constant reminder of the need that is trying to be met. Bell ringers will be at ShopKo, Wal-Mart, Hy-Vee, Nelson’s Market Place and inside Northbridge Mall next to Herberger’s. Kettles will also be placed on the counters of dozens of other business throughout the area.

The organization is still looking for volunteers who would be willing to donate their time to ring bells. A little more than 50 percent of the time slots for ringing have been filled.

All funds raised through the campaign at the various locations around town help the Salvation Army with a myriad of assistance programs for the community, including after school and summer day care programs for low-income families, temporary shelter, rental and fuel assistance, a food pantry and budget counseling to help families achieve economic independence.