Most families mark Thanksgiving by remembering how fortunate they are and enjoying a special dinner together. But that wasn’t enough for the Deck clan.
The family of six decided they wanted to be a little more hands-on. They donated their Saturday afternoon of the long weekend toward serving Thanksgiving dinner to the needy at The Salvation Army Kingston Citadel on Alfred Street.
“This is just a part of being able to give back and to give thanks for all the wonderful things we have,” said Barbara Deck, a mother of four.
“We felt it was probably the least we could do to help others.”
While this is the first year the family has spent Thanksgiving serving dinner to the less fortunate, it could become an annual tradition for them.
Deck’s husband, Wendall, who teaches at Royal Military College, said all four children, ages 10 – 14 were keen to volunteer their time. Esther, 14, Miriam 13, Anna-Marie, 11 and William 10, all helped serve up some turkey and trimmings.
“We thought it would be great to volunteer as a family and to do our part,” said Wendall Deck. “This is the first year we’ve done this – I’m not sure why we haven’t done it before.”
The family, which lives just outside Gananoque, attends church at the Salvation Army Citadel, which is where they heard about the need for volunteers.
Ten-year-old William was all for it. He admits he wasn’t sure about giving up a warm afternoon, but, after careful consideration, he thought it was a good thing to do. “I’d probably be playing outside right now,” he said.
Nonetheless, he was happy to be helping people and would like to do it again sometime.
The Decks were among about 50 volunteers who helped prepare and serve Thanksgiving dinner at The Salvation Army Citadel on Saturday to about 350 people. And their efforts were indeed appreciated.
One woman said she could smell the turkey dinner from two blocks away.
Marc Fox, who also enjoyed the dinner, said he appreciated having a place to go for a Thanksgiving meal. He just moved to Kingston from Hamilton about 10 days ago, doesn’t know anyone in town and is in the midst of looking for work as a heavy equipment operator. He’s living at Ryandale Shelter for the Homeless and that’s where he heard about the Thanksgiving dinner at The Salvation Army Citadel.
“I was in Sudbury at the drug and alcohol program during Thanksgiving and Christmas last year, so I knew The Salvation Army puts these on and I knew I could come and get a meal,” he said. “It’s been a while since I’ve had turkey.”
Though he’s only lived in Kingston a few days, Fox has been moved by how nice people are in the city. The pleasantries exchanged at the Thanksgiving dinner on Saturday are indicative of his experience, he said.
“Nobody looks at me and gives me the old stereotype, ‘he’s got long hair and tattoos. He’s a bad guy,’ “said Fox, who’s also worked as a tattoo artist.
“I haven’t got that here yet.”
He hopes to settle in the city and plans to move his daughter to Kingston as soon as he gets on his feet.
The Salvation Army’s Maj. Gary Brown said the church has been providing Thanksgiving dinner for those in need for about 13 years. They served the food this year from 3 to 6 p.m. on Saturday. The staff at the church estimate the number of meals needed on Thanksgiving, he said.
About 60 people lined up outside the church before the doors even opened for dinner.
“Our staff have a pretty good picture of the clientele in the city – we’re with them every day,” he said. “They have a real good feel for the numbers who would benefit from this kind of a program.”
The Salvation Army Citadel also provides dinner five days a week at the Alfred Street church hall.
“These are the people The Salvation Army is called to serve and so it’s like having a family Thanksgiving dinner,” said Brown.
“These are our people. We have them here for Thanksgiving and we think that’s a wonderful thing.”
Bv Jennifer Pritchett
Reprinted with permission by Kingston Whig-Standard (ON)