Four community organizations have come together to make sure that nearly 200 parish residents will be able to celebrate Thanksgiving with a traditional holiday meal.
The luncheon, which is sponsored by St. Charles Community Health Center, United Way of St. Charles, Blessed To Be A Blessing and St. Anthony’s Outreach, will be held on Thanksgiving day from 11 a.m. until 1 p.m. at St. Anthony’s Outreach in Luling.
St. Anthony’s is located at 737 Paul Maillard Road.
Volunteers plan to serve a delicious Thanksgiving turkey dinner with all the fixings to people in the community that might not otherwise celebrate Thanksgiving. Julia Bodden, one of the event organizers, said that there should be enough food to feed 200 people but that reservations will be given on a first come, first serve basis.
“We have gotten a lot of interest from people in the community who want to attend the dinner and those who want to volunteer and donate. Its really been great,” Bodden said. “If you don’t have family around during Thanksgiving, it can be a really lonely day so we want to do what we can to make sure people have a great Thanksgiving.”
Bodden, who works for the St. Charles Community Health Center, said she came up with the idea for a luncheon after running into an old patient at Wal-Mart.
“I hadn’t seen him in a while and he had lost a little weight and was telling me that he hasn’t had lights on in his home since May,” Bodden said. “His car had broken down and he had no way to get to the health center and the more he talked, the more depressed I got.”
Bodden originally decided to open her own home up to those in need during Thanksgiving.
“But I can only fit 12 people in my house and I wanted to do something on a much larger scale,” she said.
So Bodden contacted the United Way, Blessed To Be A Blessing and St. Anthony’s Outreach. All of the organizations rallied behind the idea.
Bodden said that plenty of food items have been donated, but that they are still in need of green beans, dinner rolls, desserts and Wal-Mart gift cards. The gift cards will be given as door prizes during the luncheon and each attendee will also receive a gift bag with community resources and promotional items.
Though several volunteers have already agreed to help serve food during the luncheon, Bodden said that they can never have enough helpers during the event. If you would like to volunteer or make a donation, contact Julia Bodden at (985)785-5831.
Volunteers may also just show up during the day of the luncheon.
To make a reservation for the Thanksgiving meal, contact Sheree Wilson at (985)785-5830. Space is limited.
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