Nov 23, 2003 By Christine Haines 3 min read

BROWNSVILLE – The holiday rush is in full swing at the Brownsville Soup Kitchen, where volunteers expect to serve more than 330 Thanksgiving meals this week. Theresa Gladden, the soup kitchen’s coordinator, said 260 meals will be delivered to senior citizens at Mulligan Manor, the Brownsville Apartments and Brownsville House, with another 75 meals served at the soup kitchen, in the basement of the borough building.

Gladden said she’s getting plenty of help from volunteers and donors this year, both for the Thanksgiving dinner and for Christmas preparations. The soup kitchen gives out holiday food baskets to families at Christmas and provides toys and coats for needy children.

Gladden said the Thanksgiving meal will be served at the soup kitchen Thursday from 11 a.m. to 1 p.m.

“Twenty-six young ladies from Grindstone are preparing the turkeys,” Gladden said.

“Donations are a little bit slow, but they are averaging what they were last year.”

State Rep. Peter J. Daley (D-California) has provided some of the turkeys for the dinner through a donation from the Agriculture Coalition Committee of PennAg Industries. The turkeys were purchased from Pilgrim’s Pride of New Oxford.

The Binnstown-Low Hill Lions Club donated a dozen turkeys for Christmas food baskets, as well as $250 to purchase vouchers for winter coats.

“We believe this is a very special program they are running down here,” said Cliff Lacey, president of the Lions Club.

Last year, the soup kitchen served 1,800 meals to 232 people, provided assistance to 202 families, conducted four used-clothing drives and served 180 Easter meals, 230 Thanksgiving meals and 250 Christmas meals. It also provided 50 Christmas food baskets and distributed toys for 385 children.

The Lions club has donated to the soup kitchen for the past two years, and Lacey said the club intends to make it an annual donation.

“Last year, we gave out 295 coats, and every bit of that money was begged from people,” Gladden said.

Individuals are the backbone of the donations to the soup kitchen. Gladden said that for the past several years, two women have made and donated Christmas cookies, but this year both of the women are ill and unable to do the holiday baking.

Instead, Gladden said, she will be counting on donations from the public as people do their own holiday baking.

“If they can make an extra dozen or two and drop them off, we’d appreciate it,” Gladden said.

Donations may be delivered or mailed to the Brownsville Soup Kitchen, Second and High streets, Brownsville, Pa., 15417.