When Major Steven Koehler saw the numbers for families in need of holiday assistance this year, he was shocked at how much it had jumped from 2008.
“Last year, I was announcing that we were serving 220 families at this time,” said Koehler, the commanding officer for the Tri-City Salvation Army. “(This year) we ended up with numbers ... close to 400 families.”
Families in need picked up their turkey boxes from the Salvation Army Tuesday. The Salvation Army also will join Lazarus House in hosting a Thanksgiving day meal from 11:30 a.m. to 2 p.m. Thursday at 1710 S. Seventh Ave. in St. Charles. The meal will be free for all community members, whether homeless, alone or just wanting to join with others for the holiday.
Jennie New, social services director for the Tri-City Salvation Army, said they will be helping 300 families for Thanksgiving alone, up from 200 last year. Families who signed up for help will receive a 12-pound turkey “with all the fixings” and a gift certificate to Jewel to purchase side dishes.
New estimates that this Thanksgiving, they will be giving away close to 5,400 pounds of food they bought from the Northern Illinois Food Bank.
“We’re lucky that we’re able (to help),” New said. “We just wanted to make sure that ... every family that came in here (got a turkey). ... If we have larger families, we assist them with more than just one turkey box. Anyone that comes in we’re assisting. We’re not turning anyone away.”
Darlene Marcusson, executive director of Lazarus House, takes the same approach, saying their Thanksgiving meal takes in all members of the community.
“At that dinner, no one knows who’s homeless and who isn’t,” Marcusson said. “Isn’t that cool? A lot of times, some of the people that are guests from former years, who are now living in their own house and fine, want to come and touch base. That’s what’s so wonderful about the event.”
Marcusson said nearly 75 percent of those that attend come in to help, or feel a sense of community, and might not be in any kind of dire need for food or help.
“They’ll come in family units and want to add more meaning to the day, rather than just stuffing their face and watching football,” Marcusson said. “It’s great to come together.”
Maxine Garon, a Geneva resident who has volunteered with Lazarus House the past three Thanksgivings, said she will get up early Thursday to make 17 boxes of stuffing and will carve more than 15 turkeys at the event.
“It’s just something that’s fallen in my lap that I can give back to the community and be a blessing to them,” Garon said. “I just love it. I’m really excited about Thursday. ... I’ve never been to anything like (it) before. The first time I went there, it was just a big gymnasium full of people enjoying each others’ company and enjoying a meal. Food keeps coming in. People make it, and it just keeps coming and coming.”
Tuesday morning at the food bank, four people loaded up the nearly 400 turkey boxes on five large pallets into a Salvation Army truck. Sarah Slavenas, food bank communications manager, said they have seen a 35 percent rise in demand for food during the past year, and not just around the holidays. Slavenas said the number of people the Food Bank serves — most recently estimated at 269,000 — has steadily risen with the recession.
“We’re doing a lot, but we want to do more,” Slavenas said. “Hunger lasts 365 days. We’re definitely making an effort to get food out the door as soon as possible.”
Koehler said he has never before seen this dramatic of an increase in requests, but is glad people aren’t afraid to ask for help when in need.
“It’s not easy to look at the person who interviews you and asks what your income is now,” Koehler said. “It’s not easy to make contact. That’s something the pride struggles with.”
Koehler and New both said volunteers and community members have been an integral part of the holiday donations.
People are just very generous,” Koehler said. “We’re very grateful in receiving such gifts from the community.”
