CHARLESTON, W.Va. – Hundreds sat down to a traditional Thanksgiving feast in Charleston one day early. The Crossroads Union Mission served up more than 500 dinners to those in need.
“People that are in a tough way, many times they don’t know where to turn for help,” said Rex Whiteman, the president and CEO of Union Mission Ministries. “To come to a place like Crossroads, which is a safe environment, a place where we can meet them at their point of need, we’re here without any restrictions.”
Whiteman said they don’t ask questions, they just ask folks to pull a chair up to the table and enjoy the meal.
“Turkey and dressing and potatoes and vegetables. It’s a great day down to the dessert and the cranberry sauce,” according to Whiteman.
All the food that wound up on those plates came from donations from the community. There are several different ways people made the meal possible.
“Some give food, some give actual cash to help pay for the dinner and then there are a lot of volunteers.”
On hand to help serve up the meal was state Agriculture Commissioner Walt Helmick and volunteers from Elizabeth Baptist Church.
The Mission dinner has been held the day before Thanksgiving more than a decade now. Whiteman said they don’t want to compete with other meals offered throughout the city and it gives those in need another chance to sit down to a hot plate of food with plenty of refills.