News Talk 94.1/AM 1600 Where The Upper Cumberland Talks
Volunteers in Dekalb County will be busier than most Thanksgiving Day with the annual food preparation and delivery for those in need.
DeKalb Emergency Services Association will be preparing and delivering full Thanksgiving meals to families in need. Vice President Blake Cantrell said he feels the need for the service is large, as they typically deliver around 700 meals throughout the county. Cantrell said he often asks volunteers to sign up before helping, but if they cannot, he just asks that people show up.
“I think especially around the holidays people want to help, I think it’s there,” Cantrell said. “I think everybody that’s blessed to have enough wants to help somebody else. We’ve never, so far, we’ve always had enough volunteers.”
Cantrell said deliveries will take as many as 30 routes Thanksgiving Day, with drivers given different ends of the county. Cantrell said anyone who wants to volunteer can show up at the DeKalb County Complex around 8:30 am Thanksgiving Day.
Cantrell said the association will receive cards in the mail and report back to citizens expressing their appreciation.
“On Thanksgiving morning, then there’s probably 50 to 60 people in there helping out,” Cantrell said. “All the way from cooking mashed potatoes, green beans, stuff like that, to prepping and even the cleaning up afterwards.”
Cantrell said many volunteers help in ways other than delivering, such as providing baked goods for the Thanksgiving meals.
“Which is a very nice treat for a lot of people,” Cantrell said. “Those baked goods come from volunteers. The Dressing comes from volunteers. So, there’s a lot of ways to volunteer for these meals and we’re very open and receptive to any of those.”
Cantrell said volunteer service will be as efficient as possible so that citizens can return to their families on Thanksgiving.
