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Thursday, March 28
The Indiana Daily Student

Community Kitchen preps for Thanksgiving

Volunteers will be preparing turkey, green bean casserole, cranberry ambrosia, mashed potatoes, rolls and pies days before Thanksgiving dinner at the Monroe County Community Kitchen.

Executive Director Vicki Pierce said this time is also used to ensure they have enough food and volunteers to serve between 400 and 500 people on ?Thursday.

“We use probably 40 volunteers on Thanksgiving day,” she said, compared to the usual 15 volunteers who prepare and serve food daily.

Some of those volunteers will help to prepare for Thanksgiving during their normal shifts, she said.

Jennifer Witzke, along with her son, mother and daughter will serve on Thanksgiving this year. Usually, they take the morning food preparation shift where music plays and people bustle in and out taking containers to deliver to people.

Though she said she has never worked the serving shift, she thinks her daughter may enjoy it and will consider trying it in the future.

She said she and her son have been volunteering for five years, since he was old enough to ?participate.

“We work Thanksgiving every year now,” she said.

Witzke said she takes this as an opportunity to do something for the community on Thanksgiving. More than that, it is an opportunity to teach her children the importance of giving back.

She said her family has days filled with leftovers every year on Thanksgiving, so it is only right to give to those who are not as ?fortunate.

“I think that’s a good thing for my kids to learn,” she said, encouraging the community to serve and donate.

On Thanksgiving, the Community Kitchen will be serving between 35 and 40 turkeys, a couple hundred cans of green beans, about 150 boxes of stuffing mix, 40 to 50 pounds of potatoes and potato flakes and about 30 pies, Pierce said.

She said most of these donations come from individuals in the community who want to give back for the holiday.

Along with providing meals to those who come to the kitchen, Pierce said several people will drive meals to the homes of homebound seniors and HIV patients to ensure they are also able to celebrate the holiday.

Witzke said she and her son have filled the to-go containers in years past, but her son loves carving the turkey more than anything else.

Volunteers will start their day at 10:30 a.m. Thursday and work until 6:30 p.m. in two-hour shifts.

Pierce said all of these spots have already been filled by a variety of volunteers, consisting of both individuals and families who want to help out.

“It’s a great time to be here,” she said.

She said people will put the finishing touches on the meal and start dishing up warm food to send to houses.

“It’s a really great experience,” Witzke said. “I really enjoy it.”

Dinner itself will last from 3 p.m. to 6 p.m., an hour longer than usual, she said.

Pierce said grocery bags will also be filled and handed out Thanksgiving day.

Though the volunteering positions have already been filled, Pierce said she encourages people to offer to drive meals around the community if they can.

She said Thanksgiving is a holiday that requires a lot of work but also inspires a good feeling in people.

“It’s a nice, festive, warm place to be,” Pierce said.

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