Portland’s Union Gospel Mission serves 500 Thanksgiving meals to those in need

As many were gathered around the dinner table with family and friends today, others were volunteering to make sure those less fortunate had a hot Thanksgiving meal.

Forty volunteers at the Union Gospel Mission prepared 500 meals for the homeless, including cooking more than a hundred turkeys.

Executive director Matt Stein said it’s their highest turnout event, but he said people line up around the block for more than just a hot meal. They come for the community.

“This time of year, the weather gets colder. The weather goes downhill with the rain. This is our chance to bring people in and let them know they’re cared for, they’re seen,” said Stein. “One of the things we see with guests experiencing homelessness is they can often go a long time without talking to anyone individually. We welcome them, know them by name, and want them to have a great Thanksgiving.”

JJ Bailey and his dog, Cece, have a warm place to go home to, but it wasn’t always that way. Bailey said he spent a lot of past Thanksgivings at the Union Gospel Mission.

“It’s like home to me. It used to be my home. It used to be my kitchen. This place used to feed me. I lived in the tent back there,” he said.

Now sober and in housing, Bailey said he came back here to see friends, and the people who helped him get off the streets.

“If you look around the room and look in people’s eyes, you can see a moment of relief being in here,” he said.

It’s a similar story for Marty Turner, who did most of the cooking.

“I see a lot of brokenness when they come in the door, and I see a lot of joy and smiles when they leave,” said Turner.

Turner struggled with addiction and completed a recovery program at the Union Gospel Mission. Now he’s giving back.

“It’s always a way to generate a new relationship and they keep coming back because of the love that’s generated here,” he said. “We all have families, we sit around a table, and talk stories, watch football. And they don’t have this.”

In addition to the 500 meals given away on Thanksgiving, the Union Gospel Mission also gave away more than 900 meal kits for families in need.

https://katu.com/news/local/union-gospel-mission-to-serve-450-thanksgiving-meals-in-portland

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Author: KATU News
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News post in at: November 30, 2024, 3:00 am.

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