Salvation Army Serves Up Thanksgiving Dinner Despite Kitchen Fire

A kitchen fire at a Salvation Army Tuesday almost left dozens of families without a Thanksgiving dinner. Almost.

With no place to cook or serve food and no food to serve or cook, a downtown Salvation Army’s tradition of providing turkey and fixings for families in need seemed in danger with the holiday fast approaching. But thanks to donations, many of which came from CityNews viewers, and the generosity of those at Nelson Mandela Park Public School, the tradition continues.

“It was incredible, they offered their auditorium, their kitchen, they brought in extra chairs and tables for us,” said a volunteer named Iris.

And there were others lending a hand. Among those volunteering their time to help serve the more than 200 guests was provincial opposition leader John Tory.

And it was not just the families that came to dinner who were being helped. The River Street Salvation Army feeds close to 900 people every week.

“The Salvation Army always seems to be able to pull everything together and act like nothing even phases them,” said an attendee name Kristina.

And the Salvation Army volunteers weren’t the only ones giving their time and energy on the holiday weekend, nor were they the only ones in need of help.

The Daily Bread Food Food Bank’s Thanksgiving food drive is also desperately seeking donations.

Even with 400 volunteers working constantly, sorting through over 300,000 pounds of food, the Daily Bread is still 600,000 pounds short of their goal. Luckily there’s lots of time since their Thanksgiving drive runs until October 20 ^th.