CHICAGO (CBS) — On this Thanksgiving Day, The Salvation Army continued its long tradition of feeding families in the Humboldt Park neighborhood, providing thousands of people with meals made from scratch.
The smell of turkey wafted pleasantly from the Salvation Army Freedom Center, at 825 N. Christiana Ave., on Thursday. There was also an overwhelming sense of gratitude emanating from the facility.
“The food is very tasty,” said Felita Vaughn of the Uptown neighborhood. “I’m really glad we came.”
Vaughn and her grandson were among the many who took advantage of the tasty Thanksgiving meals served at the center. The meals were served as part of a long-standing tradition of The Salvation Army opening its doors to the community – and everyone, regardless of their situation, sitting down to some classic home cooking.
“Your traditional Thanksgiving meal – cranberry sauce, turkey, gravy, mashed potatoes, all that stuff – and pumpkin pie,” said Salvation Army officer Nikki Hughes.
If the cake isn’t enough to bring people in, there are also smiles from volunteers like Chris Cichelli.
“There’s a lot to be thankful for, man,” Cichelli said. “You know, even if I don’t have the energy, I just want to help.”
Some of these volunteers have been working for decades. And as the echoes of chatter in the center’s gym showed, it wasn’t just meals being served.
“You can come here and talk to someone across the table who you may not know,” Hughes said. “You need people, and people need each other.”
Although The Salvation Army serves the community year-round, it is on Thanksgiving Day when the organization makes its biggest impact, serving 4,000 meals at the West Side facility alone.
“I think the need has become dire,” says Captain Elis Pomales of the Salvation Army. “People run out of resources too quickly and can’t make ends meet:
And while Vaughn was able to satisfy her hunger, the most valuable thing she left with was the feeling of paying it forward.
“My grandson wants to volunteer now,” she said. “He sees other people volunteering, and now he wants to do it.”
Other churches and organizations stand up for the community on Thanksgiving
The Rainbow PUSH Coalition also hosted a Thanksgiving meal at its headquarters on Thursday for families in need.
This year, Rainbow PUSH said it served more than 250 meals at its headquarters at 930 E. 50th St. in the Kenwood neighborhood – as part of its mission to empower the community’s most vulnerable members.
“Thanksgiving is a time for sharing blessings and strengthening our community bonds. Each meal served is a reminder that we stand in solidarity with those who need it most,” Rev. Jesse Jackson Sr. said. quoted in a press release.
The organization is specifically looking for veterans during the holidays.
Meanwhile, volunteers from Quinn Chapel AME Church – Chicago’s oldest black church – started a service project bright and early this Thanksgiving Day.
The church, at 2401 S. Wabash Ave., wanted to make sure seniors and others in need were fed and loved during the holidays. They partnered with Chicago’s Panhellenic Council and other community organizations to pack home-cooked meals.
In total, the church planned to deliver about 1,500 meals to retirement homes in the Chicago area.
