11/20/2009
MICHAEL STRAND
Needs are increasing this Thanksgiving and Christmas season, as evidenced by planning for Thursday’s annual dinner at Applebee’s Neighborhood Grill & Bar in Salina.
The event, a joint effort by the Salvation Army, Applebee’s, the Salina Country Club and Minneapolis-based G.L. Huyett, Inc., is in its 17th year, said Salvation Army Capt. Mike Wolfe.
Last year, about 1,000 were fed on Thanksgiving, but Wolfe is planning to feed 1,200 this year.
The dinner runs from noon to 2 p.m., and Wolfe stresses it’s not only for the poor.
“It’s for the homeless, the hopeless, people who don’t have anyplace to go, or would be alone,” he said. “If you don’t have any relatives, come have Thanksgiving with the captain.”
Wolfe said free Thanksgiving dinners are also available for delivery to shut-ins.
“People should call our office, at 823-2251, in the next few days if they need a meal delivered,” Wolfe said.
The anticipated increase in Thanksgiving diners is reflected in the Salvation Army’s Christmas events as well.
“We’ve seen a record number of families signing up for Christmas help,” Wolfe said. “It’s up 20 percent from last year.”
The Angel Tree at Central Mall, where people can select an angel and help fill the needs of a specific child, started with 1,000 angels this year.
“The past record was about 850,” Wolfe said. “We’re seeing more and more people are going to have a hard Christmas.”