TOPEKA (KSNT) – Organizers of Topeka’s Community Thanksgiving Dinner are asking the community for food and monetary donations as they prepare for the annual holiday meal.
The dinner is in its 59th year and typically serves about 2,700 meals, according to Beth Kensinger, president and kitchen coordinator. Kensinger said monetary donations help cover the cost of items that are more difficult to collect through food drives, including turkey, pumpkin pies and rolls.
“The monetary donations are incredibly important because they pay for our big-ticket perishable items,” Kensinger said. “They pay for the turkey, they pay for the pumpkin pie and the rolls and things like that that we really can’t get through donation or through direct donations.”
Organizers are also asking for seven specific nonperishable food items: boxed mashed potatoes, stuffing mix, canned green beans, canned cranberry sauce, canned yams, chicken broth and evaporated milk. Food donations can be dropped off at Topeka fire stations beginning the week before Thanksgiving. Donations can also be brought to Stormont Vail Events Center during Thanksgiving week.
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The dinner takes hundreds of volunteers to prepare, serve and deliver meals. Kensinger said volunteers help throughout the week with food preparation, setup and decorating, while others assist with serving and delivering meals on Thanksgiving Day.
The organization delivers about 2,000 meals throughout Topeka, in addition to serving people at the event center. Vice President Ross England said the dinner’s goal is to make sure no one has to spend Thanksgiving alone.
“Our goal is to get as many people who want somewhere to have dinner come, because it’s always been the mission statement of our organization that no one on Thanksgiving need dine alone,” England said. “So, the biggest thing is we want people to not be alone and to come away or somewhere to have a good, nutritious meal.”
Those interested in making a monetary donation or signing up to volunteer can visit their website. The Community Thanksgiving Dinner will be held at Stormont Vail Events Center located at One Expocentre Dr. in Topeka. You can also make meal delivery requests by calling 785-329-0789.
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