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“Everybody Eats” still needs donations for Thanksgiving

MU Professor Jeff Firman believes his new turkey feed could reduce the price of turkey, which has been on the rise for decades.
by LarimdaME /Flickr Creative Commons
MU Professor Jeff Firman believes his new turkey feed could reduce the price of turkey, which has been on the rise for decades.

As Thanksgiving approaches, organizers of Almeta Crayton’s annual Thanksgiving Day meal are seeking donations.

Kentrell Minton said the demand for turkeys this year is greater than it’s ever been in the organization’s 17 years in Columbia.

“I think the economy definitely took a toll on the community,” Minton said.

Every year, the organization delivers Thanksgiving baskets to the elderly and disabled as well as hosts a free dinner on Thanksgiving Day for the community.

This year, Minton said they have 500 baskets to fill and distribute, the most he’s ever seen.

Volunteer coordinator Janice Threat-Smith said the planning for the annual Thanksgiving dinner and basket distribution began in late September.

“Each week there’s a new level, a new layer of folks that are coming on board to make this thing happen,” she said.

The program relies heavily on its volunteers, and Minton said this year the volunteers are rolling in. Threat-Smith seemed to agree.

“This year we are trying to pre-register volunteers and assign functions and so my phone is ringing constantly today,” Threat-Smith said.

Minton said this year’s been a little hard on the organizers as they move forward without their founder, Almeta Crayton. Minton, Crayton’s godson, took over as the chairman of the group after her death last year.

“It’s been rough, because everything that we do it reminds us of her,” Minton said. “So we have to stop and take a breath and at the same time, we know that the good that we’re doing she’s proud of so that makes us stand forward and keep proceeding and keep her legacy alive.”

Donations can be dropped off at St. Luke United Methodist Church, 204 East Ash Street, today through Saturday from 1 to 7 p.m. and Sunday from 2 to 7 p.m.

The annual dinner will be held at Stephen’s College from 11 a.m. to 2 p.m on the 27th. The event is open to the community. 

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