Annual Community Thanksgiving Meal organizers to serve nearly 3,000 meals on Thursday

OAK HILL, W.Va. (WVVA) - If you think your Thanksgiving guest list is daunting, listen to this; several Fayette County churches are coming together to prepare nearly 3,000 meals to be served at the Lewis Community Center in Oak Hill on Thursday.

Preparations started early Monday preparing 150 whole turkeys, 500 pounds of turkey breast, and 250 pounds of pre-cooked turkey. And that is just the start, according to Meal Coordinator Lesley Taylor.

“We have a great kitchen facility. It’s very large and it allows us to cook large numbers. But you can’t do that without volunteers,” explained Taylor.

The volunteers come from dozens of churches, whose volunteers work long hours to get ready. Myisha Robinson with the Community Restoration Worship Center makes volunteering a family affair. “As a Church, we’re always part of the community and we want to be involved. We like to do outreach activities. We’re here to assist and help as much as we can.”

This year, Robinson’s church has helped with desert and turkey duty. “Helping someone with food, we’re just giving kind words and giving back to the community.”

The payoff comes on Thursday at 10:30 a.m., when visitors start to drive up to pick up their food.

“I asked everybody to remember that when they carry meals out, this might be the only person they get to talk to that day. Make sure to smile and tell them to have a nice day because that might be the only person they get to talk to,” adds Taylor.

While pre-orders for the meals were due on October 31st, Taylor said there will be some extra meals available for those who did not make the deadline on a first come, first serve basis.

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