Food banks, churches and school groups are spreading hospitality and the right ingredients to ensure everyone has a warm meal this Thanksgiving.
Volunteers at the Lynnwood Food Bank handed out more than 300 bags of Thanksgiving fixings to Snohomish County families last week and expect to top that in the days leading up to the holiday, said director Margaret “Peg” Amarok.
Bags filled with the makings of a traditional Thanksgiving meal will go to clients from Mill Creek, Brier, Lynnwood and the north end of Edmonds who regularly collect groceries from the food bank.
Amarok said staff also refers clients to Westgate Chapel in Edmonds. At Westgate, located at 22901 Edmonds Way, staff will serve Thanksgiving dinner at 11 a.m., 1:30 p.m. and 3:30 p.m. The meal is free and seats are open to anyone. The celebration will include family pictures and games.
Ron Brooks, a senior associate at Westgate, said helping their neighbors is part of who Westgate staff and members are and their purpose in the community.
The whole spirit of the event, Brooks said, is to invite families to celebrate.
“We’re inviting the community to our home,” he said. “We want to enjoy our guests and for them to feel comfortable being there.”
Some people would otherwise spend the holiday alone, while others are new to the tradition having recently immigrated from other countries, Brooks said. Translators will be on hand to help guests who need them.
“We love it,” he said. “It’s a real honor for us, and our church family really gets into it. We want people to enjoy the experience and not just the dinner.”
Also getting into the hospitable spirit of the holidays, Key Club members at Edmonds-Woodway High School rolled up their sleeves earlier this week to reach their goal of baking 65 pies to donate for a Thanksgiving feast at a Seattle restaurant. The students planned to deliver the pies to Amore Restaurant, if weather permitted, on Nov. 24. The owner closes the Italian restaurant on Thanksgiving to offer the homeless Thanksgiving dinner. Last year, Amore offered warm meals to more than 500 of Seattle’s homeless.
Wendy Priest, Key Club advisor, said the homemade pies make the donation a little more personal to those who are receiving them and the project gives her students a chance to help.
“The kids are really thinking about who they’re making the pies for,” Priest said.
Kristen Kendall, Key Club vice-president, said she learned about Amore’s Thanksgiving dinner online and wanted the Club to help out.
“Each year he offers a warm meal and keeps people off the street for a night,” she said. “I was raised to look at what others need and even if you don’t have much, you should give. Baking pies is any easy way to do that.”
Kendall said the holidays are a perfect time to donate.
“It’s a chance to take a step back and look at what you have and help people,” she said.
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