From the homeless to the lonely, all kinds of people will join together Thursday for free Thanksgiving dinners.

The generosity they are shown has a broad impact.

Sally Weiesnbach, founder and director of operations at the Ark of Faith, said a Thanksgiving meal will be served from noon until 2:30 p.m. in the Ark’s location at 401 E. Broadway.

“I never know how many we will serve,” she said. “In the past, we’ve served 75 to 100. We get a lot of the downtown people. We have turkey and dressing and all the trimmings, jelly salads, fruit salads, and sweet potatoes. About 1 p.m., we ask musicians to come and sing, so there will be some excellent singers.”

Weiesnbach said people who are eligible for the meal include the homeless, the elderly, people who are bereaved and not ready yet to do this at home, and people who just want to be in a safe place. The Ark of Faith has been serving this meal since 1985.

At St. Paul United Methodist Church, organizer Aimee Montgomery said their Thanksgiving meal will be served from 11 a.m. to 1:30 p.m. at 2130 W. Okmulgee Ave. Last year they served approximately 300. With the economy in poor condition, she said they don’t know what to expect this year.

“We have a lot of church people who are by themselves who come — older people, even couples and families that don’t cook for themselves anymore,” she said. “Then, of course, we have a lot of homeless people. A lot of regular people from our Saturday morning breakfast — they all know that we’ll be open for dinner Thanksgiving.”

Montgomery said the church will welcome anybody who wants to come.

“We just want to reach out to the community,” she said. “We are in an area where we have people who are kind of low income. We have people in the same neighborhood who are higher income or middle income. We just want to reach out to anybody in our area. And then, we have a lot of people come before 11 a.m. just to visit because they’re lonely.”

At the Gospel Rescue Mission, 326 S. Second St., Director Jack Murr said their free Thanksgiving meal will be served from 11 a.m. to 2 p.m. He expects an increase in attendance.

“Last year it was 80, so probably this year 80 to 100 because we have more in the shelter,” he said.

Murr said anybody who is hungry can enjoy the meal.

“We do this primarily because it’s an opportunity for people from the community to come,” he said. “A lot of them don’t have any family or they can’t get to them to do Thanksgiving. They don’t want to stay home and eat alone. And then it gives us an opportunity for the community to stay and volunteer to serve the clients. It just works out well.”

Sgt. Jay Spalding with the Salvation Army at 615 S. Main St., said they will be serving free Thanksgiving meals from 11 a.m. to 2 p.m.

“Anyone is welcome,” he said. “We expect between 50 and 75 people, maybe more.”

Spalding said the dinner is part of what the Salvation Army does 365 days a year.

“We just want to make sure people have a place to go,” he said. “We want to make sure everyone gets a chance to get a hot meal, enjoy some warmth and some family time together.”



Reach Keith Purtell at 564-2925 or kpurtell@muskogeephoenix.com.