Local groups, businesses help those in need on Thanksgiving | News, Sports, Jobs

T-L Photo/CARRI GRAHAM
LEFT: Barb Vickers, elder of the First Presbyterian Church of Martins Ferry, hands a turkey dinner to Susan Kane of St. Clairsville during the church’s annual Thanksgiving Day dinner giveaway.

MARTINS FERRY — A number of places in Belmont County offered free turkey dinners on Thanksgiving Day to residents who were in need of a meal or just looking for some company for the holiday.

The First Presbyterian Church of Martins Ferry continued its annual tradition of handing out hot turkey dinners on Thanksgiving Day. Anyone in the Ohio Valley was welcome to receive a free meal on Thursday.

Beth Vickers, member of the church who cooks all the meals for the program, said they ended up starting earlier than anticipated as many stood in line just outside the church doors.

By just after noon — the original start time of the event — volunteers had already served 50 residents with more arriving periodically. Vickers slept overnight at the church to ensure herself enough time to prepare the meals for the day’s giveaway.

As each person made their way to the front doors, church volunteers asked how many meals they needed and a desert preference. The order way relayed to the assembly line of volunteers in the lower level of the church where they packaged up the meals. The attendee was then handed a container filled with turkey and all the fixins to complete a home-cooked holiday meal.

Susan Kane of St. Clairsville placed her order for one meal. She said she is originally from the Purple City and has attended the annual dinner for many years but has missed the indoor, sit-down-dinners the church previously held prior to the COVID-19 pandemic. The meals are now packaged for takeout only though many are hoping to return to the former next year.

Kane, a home health aide, said she worked during the day and planned to take the meal home to enjoy when she completed her shift. She said she lives alone and doesn’t feel the need to cook an entire meal for just herself, so she appreciates the church’s service of providing the dinners.

“It’s very nice that they do this, very charitable and it’s a good thing for the community. People are able to get out amongst each other,” she said.

Sean Gleaves of Martins Ferry picked up three meals for himself, his wife and a friend. He said his wife currently resides in a nursing rehabilitation center after sustaining both a broken arm and leg and due to prior injuries is taking a bit longer to heal. He said he planned to take one of the turkey dinners to her and hopefully eat his with her at the center.

Up until the last two years, Gleaves said he cooked Thanksgiving dinners. However, since he is now home alone, he has utilized the church’s meal program.

“I appreciate that they do this for the community out of the goodness of their heart. They don’t get paid for this and they don’t expect any funds from anybody. … Churches in any community are here to help and don’t ask questions. It doesn’t matter who you are or what walk of life you’re from. It’s great and I appreciate that,” he said.

Martins Ferry resident John L. Glover stopped in toward the end of the day for a meal. He said he saw the signs on the church’s store and decided to stop by for one.

More than 100 people were served at the annual event. Barb Vickers, Beth’s mother and an elder of the church who assists with the dinner giveaways, said it was a very busy and gratifying day.

“It’s always so rewarding to do this. Hopefully we’ll be able to do it in house next year. When we do, we serve about 150 people,” she said, adding that everyone that came in for a meal was grateful for the service.

Barb explained that the program all started years ago with a promise Bill Sutton, an elder of the church, made to God. She said his son was in the hospital in critical condition. Sutton prayed that if his son were saved that he would do whatever he could to help those in his community, and that’s just what he did. Vickers and her daughter, Beth, have continued the tradition in his absence.

The free meals were made possible through a fund the church saves for throughout the year, along with a donation of nine turkeys and cranberry sauce from the Daily Bread Center.

The Belmont County Salvation Army also provided a Thanksgiving dinner to around 40 people which included turkey, corn, beans, noodles, mashed potatoes, stuffing, cranberry sauce, along with plenty of pie options.

On Thursday morning, Maj. Lewis Patrick said they were gearing up to serve the meals to 25 residents of the shelter along with anyone else that was in need of a meal at noon.

Once everyone was done eating, they were able to kick back, relax, socialize and watch the football games — a holiday tradition for many. Patrick said the day means a lot to the residents and others in need.

He noted that the volunteer Red Kettle workers were out at all locations during the day collecting donations to support the Salvation Army’s efforts.

“It’s our goal to be able to help as many people as possible that live in the community, and if people are in need they can always call us to see what we can do for them,” he said.

Newellstown Diner also served free dinners Thursday around noon.Terra Butler, owner of the diner, said they had a “fantastic” turnout, serving around 40 people throughout the afternoon. By 12:30, the diner was full, she said.

This is the second year the diner has provided free meals to residents for the holidays. Butler said they do it to give anyone that needs food or company a place to go.

“It’s just something we like to do for people, people that don’t have places to go. People come for the holidays and they really like to talk about their situations and really open up. That’s what we’re here for,” she said.

Butler said they plan to keep it going in the future. She credited the employees for making the day possible as they volunteer their time to prepare and work the day.

“They’ve grown to really like this kind of thing and they have a great time doing it. Our cook goes out of his way to do this. I just think that’s astronomical. To have employees that share the same kind of passion for people as you do, it’s amazing. They give their time willingly and have a good time doing so,” she said, adding that the employees worked the night prior and started at 6:30-7 a.m. Thursday morning prepping for the day.