Nov 24, 2002 By Joyce Koballa 2 min read

CONNELLSVILLE – The preparation behind Friday’s annual Thanksgiving turkey dinner at the Salvation Army Service Unit paid off, as more than 350 people received a hot meal in lieu of the upcoming holiday. Although he was suffering a bad case of laryngitis, Bob Bloom, Salvation Army unit director, could not say enough about the volunteers and local businesses that helped to make this year’s event another success.

“We have about 15 volunteers and five who prepared the food,” said Bloom.

He noted that volunteers, who provided more than 90 percent of the help, took about two days to prepare the menu, which consisted of turkey, stuffing, mashed potatoes and gravy, cranberry sauce, coleslaw, green beans, beverages and pumpkin pie.

The dinner was served from 11 to 12:30 p.m. at the service unit, located at 201 E. Fairview Ave. Bloom said Better Materials of Connellsville supplied 15 turkeys, 35 pies and 30-dozen dinner rolls for the dinner, while Miedel’s Restaurant of Connellsville Township supplied the coleslaw and cooked the turkeys.

“We can always depend on them,” said Betty Jane Reed, who has volunteered at the service unit for the last 16 years. Reed added that she started volunteering under the Green Thumb program and has continued ever since.

According to Bloom, the Salvation Army also provides holiday meals for Christmas and Easter, with Thanksgiving receiving the biggest turnout.

“It’s our biggest meal of the year,” said Bloom.

Jim Smith, the service unit’s kitchen manager, also has been involved with the dinner for 16 years. “We came in at 6 a.m. Thursday to start getting the meal ready,” said Smith.

Seating capacity is limited to six tables that seat eight people, and Bloom said the first 50 people are served a sit-down dinner, while the others are served as they come in.

As a former volunteer, Gloria Knox said this time around she enjoyed being served. Knox said she was forced to step down after becoming ill, but she looks forward to coming out for the meal.

The Rev. Robert Kooser, a retired minister of Trinity Evangelical Lutheran Church, said it’s been a while since he and his wife, Frances, were able to come to the dinner. Kooser added that the dinner is a wonderful gesture for the people who don’t have a place to go on Thanksgiving.