Volunteers prepare meals for Salvation Army Thanksgiving

WILMINGTON, NC (WWAY) — The kitchen at the Salvation Army was bustling Wednesday night as volunteers prepared meals for the annual Salvation Army Thanksgiving lunch.

“It started as a family tradition,” said one young volunteer Zach Hardison. “I’ve been doing this for about eight years now.”

“This is my fourth or fifth year doing this,” said Trevor Hardison.

This is an annual way to give back to the community in a festive way.

25 turkeys will headline the holiday menu, but that’s not all. There will be corn, 40 pounds of sweet potatoes, 60 pounds of white potatoes, stuffing, green beans, cranberries and much more. These meals go a long way.

Volunteers say last year they served almost 200 people between people coming here to eat and folks taking to go plates to eat at home.

But for the volunteers it’s not just about food.

“To me it means, I love making a difference in the community and seeing the people that come off the streets that would have nowhere else to go on Thanksgiving and giving them a full stomach and a good time, that’s what I really love about this,” said Zach.

And the volunteers will be back tomorrow to serve the meal.