Preparing a Thanksgiving meal can be a chore. You’ve got to make the turkey, do up the stuffing, whip up the potatoes and prepare all the other side dishes for the meal. It certainly can be a trying day, but it’s worth it to see your family enjoy a great Thanksgiving meal.
Now, imagine preparing 36 turkeys, 500 pounds of potatoes, 26 sheet pans of dressing and 26 sheet pans of sweet potato casserole over three days.
Pastor Greg Kirk, executive director of the United Gospel Rescue Mission, doesn’t have to imagine. That’s been his Thanksgiving meal preparation routine for the last 15 years.
For the 51st year, the great Thanksgiving banquet will be held at the mission, located at 400 S. Broadway, from 7:30 a.m. to 2 p.m., and if Kirk has his way, anyone that wants a hot meal on Thanksgiving will not go without.
“Some people are just having a hard time especially with COVID,” Kirk said. “There’s people out of work that weren’t out of work last year, and maybe they’re sitting at home and they’re thinking ‘Man, I don’t have anything to eat.’
“Well, you do. You’ve got a friend in me. I’m going to send you food, and it’s not going to cost you a dime, and it’s going to be delicious.”
More than 300 volunteers, along with students from the Poplar Bluff Technical Career Center’s Culinary Arts program have been busy since Monday preparing this massive feast, which will feed 1,200 people this Thanksgiving. If you do the math, that number is equal to about 8% of the population of Poplar Bluff.
Two hundred meals will be sent to the Butler County jail on Wednesday, and on Thursday, along with serving people at the mission, meals will be sent to people who have to work on Thanksgiving.
First responders, hotel workers, and the staff at the John J. Pershing VA Medical Center will be able to enjoy a hot Thanksgiving meal.
The banquet has the financial support of area churches, but the majority of the money necessary to make this annual event happen comes from donations from caring citizens.
“I’ve never seen anything like this town. I’ve been here for 15 years, and from day one, they have not disappointed me; they just give, give, give,” said Kirk.
You would think after a massive undertaking, like this the mission would take a break, but that’s not the case, according to Kirk.
“We’re going to do this again at Christmas, so that’s even harder because we’ve had a long time to get ramped up for this, but when this is done, we got four weeks till Christmas,” Kirk said. “And, we’ve got to get ready. It’s like you don’t have time to rest because we’re going to do it again.”
And, what do you eat for Thanksgiving when you’re the man who feeds Poplar Bluff?
According to Kirk, it’s beans and cornbread this year.
“I think that’s what my wife’s making for Thanksgiving for us because I serve so much turkey here,” Kirk said. “I’ve been up to my elbows in turkey. I really don’t want to eat turkey.”
If you would like to have a meal delivered, call the mission at 573-785-4683.
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