Salvation Army to serve Thanksgiving dinner to hundreds in Augusta

AUGUSTA, Ga. (WRDW/WAGT) – The Salvation Army of Augusta is preparing to serve its annual free Thanksgiving dinner Thursday, with leaders expecting more people than ever to attend.

The Salvation Army Center of Hope serves meals 365 days a year, but Thursday’s Thanksgiving dinner holds special significance for the organization and the community it serves.

“If you are struggling, if you are hungry, there is a meal and a welcoming family here for you on Thanksgiving Day,” said Derek Dugan, Director of Development for the Salvation Army of Augusta.

Shelters at capacity

Dugan said the organization’s facilities are at full capacity heading into the holiday.

“Tonight this shelter will be full, the women’s shelter will be full, the family shelter will be full. And tomorrow, all of them will be joining us for a Thanksgiving meal,” he said.

Volunteers prepare feast

While the Center of Hope dining area sits quietly with tables set and chairs arranged, preparation is underway in the kitchen at the Kroc Center, where turkeys and pies are going into ovens.

Volunteer Angela Mixon is making sweet potato pies using her grandmother’s recipe, mixing ingredients by hand.

“I don’t measure anything. If it tastes right, it’s good; if it doesn’t, I add what it tastes like it needs,” Mixon said.

The Salvation Army holds personal meaning for Mixon, who stayed at the shelter when she was 25 with her oldest daughter.

“So the Salvation Army really helped me,” she said.

Now she’s baking for the 150 people expected to attend Thursday’s meal.

Finding family

For many who will attend, the dinner provides more than just food.

“Thanksgiving is a special time for us to reconnect with our families and friends. And for the people that we serve, many of them don’t have those families or friends because of their situation in life,” Dugan said.

The free Thanksgiving meal will be served at the Salvation Army Center of Hope on Greene Street at 5:30 p.m. on Thursday. Everyone in the community is encouraged to attend.

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