Homeless to enjoy Thanksgiving at Memphis Union Mission | Community Spirit

Turkey. Dressing. Mashed potatoes. Green beans. Pie.

No traditional Thanksgiving dinner is complete without them. And next week, hundreds of homeless, needy men and women will enjoy all of that and more at Memphis Union Mission.

“As many people know, Thanksgiving is a big deal at Memphis Union Mission,” says Scott Bjork, president & CEO of Memphis Union Mission. “And we really try our best to show hospitality to our guests and make this a special time for them.”

Memphis Union Mission will reach out to the homeless again this year by holding its annual Thanksgiving banquet for the homeless on Wednesday, November 23 (the day before Thanksgiving Day) at 383 Poplar Ave.

The Mission will provide three special Thanksgiving meals at Noon, 2 p.m. and 5 p.m. and will feed a total of up to 700 homeless Memphians.

This year’s meal will include plenty of turkey, ham, dressing, green beans, desserts, and other items.

Preparing for the banquet was made easier again this year thanks to Corky’s Barbecue, who smoked the turkeys for Memphis Union Mission for free.

The Mission has already dropped off the turkeys with Corky’s and will pick them up fully-smoked on Friday, November 18. At 10 a.m. at 600 Poplar Ave., volunteers will manually de-bone the turkeys to get them ready to serve at the banquet.

Of course, local volunteers will help in a variety of ways.  As mentioned above, five days before the banquet, volunteers will get the turkeys ready to serve. And at the banquet itself, over 100 men, women, and children from all over the area will help serve the meals and decorate everything to make the event as festive and home-like as possible.

And worship services will be held in conjunction with the meals. But for all the festivities, the event constitutes more than just a dinner.

“We’re ultimately in the business of rebuilding peoples’ lives,” says Bjork. “On any given day, we have over 100 men and women who are in recovery programs, and they’re typically introduced to those programs through events like these.”

So something as simple as a traditional Thanksgiving dinner can be a new beginning for someone on the streets.

Memphis Union Mission ministers to the physical, spiritual, and emotional needs of men, women and children who are homeless, addicted, and in crisis. The Mission’s ultimate objective is for clients to: 1) Become mature disciples of Jesus Christ, 2) Achieve freedom from substance abuse, 3) Reunite with family and loved ones, and 4) Reemerge as responsible, self-sufficient members of the community.