Union Gospel Mission Twin Cities to give away 10,000 Thanksgiving meals
ST. PAUL, Minn. — It's the time of year for giving but giving away Thanksgiving dinners this year is complicated.
Pam Stegora Axberg is CEO of Union Gospel Mission Twin Cities where they serve, "three meals a day, breakfast lunch and dinner, seven days a week, 365 days a year."
The most popular meal of the year is a takeaway kit.
"For Thanksgiving, we will be giving away 10,000 meals, so that is a lot of meals, a lot of potatoes and a lot of turkeys," Stegora Axberg said.
But this year it's too popular. They opened up their giveaway list in October and 10,000 spots rapidly filled up.
"I see the disappointment in their faces as I say they are already filled, turning people away is not what we are used to," Stegora Axberg said.
They ordered their turkeys back in February to get the best price — they didn't know they'd need this many.
"We have seen more people who have been unsheltered from housing. We have seen the pressure of inflation," Stegora Axberg said.
The hope is that the mission gets more support, volunteers and donations, so they can give out more hope.
"We do not want to turn people away," Stegora Axberg said.
They have enough volunteers for Thanksgiving but say they need volunteers every day of the year for breakfast, lunch and dinner — you can just show up and get gloves and a hairnet or a hat.
For those who did not get a meal kit, Union Gospel will be serving a warm Thanksgiving meal, and they still have room for people to show up.
For more information on volunteering, click here.
