BURST
Edmonton charities, a local business and students are among those renewing Thanksgiving traditions to help those in need this long weekend.
On Friday, the Hope Mission served up traditional turkey, stuffing, and mashed potato meals to upwards of 800 people across its three city locations.
Donor relations manager Kevin Wiebe said the banquet setting differs from the organization’s typical meal service not only by the holiday fixings but also through how those guests are served.
“In our normal meals, there’s a line where people line up, go get their food and sit down, and that’s to serve as many people as possible in a bit of a shorter time frame. But Friday, we have them seated, and they get served,” he said.
“We want to do something special and just show them that they, too, are worthy of being served in this special way.”
He said that service process is one small way they can mark the occasion for those who often don’t have anyone to celebrate with.
“At a time when most people spend Thanksgiving with their family, folks on the streets often aren’t able to do that, and so this becomes a place where that loneliness, the effects of that, get buffered a little bit, and where they can spend time with the different community and be shown that they are cared for, and they have a place to belong.”
It’s a similar message at the Mustard Seed, which is serving its own Thanksgiving meal at this central and Strathcona locations Saturday night.
“Thanksgiving at The Mustard Seed is a celebration of community care,” said Laura Giesbrecht, the organization’s senior director of food services. “Thanks to the generosity of Edmontonians, we can make sure everyone who walks through our doors feels cared for.”
A group of culinary students from the Northern Alberta Institute of Technology, along with staff, is also giving back by preparing food for the annual Boyle Street Thanksgiving dinner on Sunday.
That meal is expected to feed as many as 700 people and will include 60 turkeys, 100 loaves of bread, 100 pounds of baby potatoes, and seven cases of frozen vegetables.
Animals aren’t left out either, with Parachutes for Pets putting on a “Petsgiving” event. It offers hampers including food and toys to pet owners between 10 a.m. and 2 p.m. on Sunday, also at the Boyle Street location on 103A Avenue.
“We want the whole family to be fed on Thanksgiving, including beloved pets,” Parachutes for Pets founder and executive director Melissa David said in a news release.
“Petsgiving gives the opportunity to share in the holiday by ensuring that.”
And, on Monday another long-standing local Thanksgiving tradition returns for another year.
The Millbourne Laundromat will be putting on its free community Thanksgiving meal on Monday afternoon, continuing a tradition that dates back decades.
“We believe in Thanksgiving and community and also helping others in need,” said Shaun Hwang who’s mother Jane continues to organize the event after taking over the laundromat, and its Thanksgiving tradition, from the facility’s prior owners.
Monday’s event is set for between 1 p.m. and 4 p.m. at the Leefield Community League.
“We definitely saw the Thanksgiving lunch that the original owner hosted as something that was almost vital or needed in the community,” Hwang said.
“We wanted to continue that tradition and just give back to the community in what way we could.”