THUNDER BAY - Anyone who was busy this long weekend in the kitchen preparing a Thanksgiving Day dinner knows just how much work it can be. When it comes to providing that kind of dinner for more than 300 people, it is going to take a few extra hands in the kitchen.
“Everybody knows that if you have to cook Thanksgiving dinner by yourself, it’s a lot of work,” said Thunder Bay Shelter House kitchen assistant, Dan Kowalczyk. “To have anybody helping is better than doing it alone.”
Kowalczyk had a lot of help hands this year at the Shelter House Thanksgiving Dinner, with nearly a dozen volunteers coming out to cook, clean, and serve between 300 and 350 people in the community who may not otherwise get the chance to have a home cooked holiday meal.
“We had about eight to 10 volunteers today who basically cooked this whole meal for us,” Kowalczyk said. “I am pretty thankful for that. It makes my day a whole lot easier. Without them we couldn’t do this here today.”
The meal served on Monday at Shelter House included all the Thanksgiving favourites, from mashed potatoes, corn, salad, stuffing, to 12 turkeys cooked and carved.
“Not a lot of people get meals like this or not a lot of people have the money to afford anything of this nature, so they come here where we can at least give them one day when they can fill their bellies,” Kowalczyk said.
The lineup went around the Shelter House kitchen and out the door and the volunteers in the kitchen were busy dishing out plate after plate.
For 12-year-old Eleanor Drobet and her mom, Shelley Artz, it’s important to give back to those who have less, especially during a time everyone is thankful for what they have.
“I just like helping people,” Eleanor said. “I feel really bad that they don’t have a meal all the time. It would really suck to not be able to go into your cupboard and grab food when you are hungry.”
“I know there are a lot of people in our community who have pretty great needs,” Shelley added. “I really want my daughters to have an understanding of the things that they have and to give back to the community.”
Everyone who comes through the door is filled with gratitude, Kowalczyk said, and for those who volunteer long hours in the kitchen, cooking a dozen turkeys, mashing countless potatoes, and baking pie after pie, the best part is knowing everyone will leave with a full stomach.
“It makes me feel good that they have a meal,” Eleanor said.
“Thanksgiving is my favourite,” Shelley added. “I love Thanksgiving dinner so it’s good to see a huge turn out today and it’s great to see so many people getting a great meal.”
