Volunteers make Thanksgiving special for thousands of people

PORTLAND, Oregon (KOIN) – Volunteers from different organizations have been deployed in the area to make Thanksgiving a little special for those who need it, no matter the reason.

The Union Gospel Mission on Northwest 3rd Avenue installed a large tent and planned to distribute approximately 1,200 turkey dinners for its annual Thanksgiving feast.

Brian McKenzie, Mission Kitchen Manager, told KOIN 6 News that the event was personal to him.

"I have come to UGM from the street and I know what it is like to be hungry and cold and not to have somewhere to go for the holidays," McKenzie said. "Being able to give back, contribute and provide for the needs of people who have nothing, is quite satisfying."

In addition to the turkey, the menu of the Union Gospel Mission included 350 pounds of mashed potatoes, stuffing and candied fresh yams, 75 gallons of turkey juice, 72 pounds of cranberry sauce, 240 pumpkin pies with cream whipped, 1200 p and 100 gallons of coffee.

Sherwood Family Tradition: Delivering Vacation Meals

Every Thanksgiving and Christmas day for 20 years, Sherwood's Myhrvold family volunteered to help Meals on Wheels provide food to those in need.

The family day begins in the morning at the central kitchen of the Meals on Wheels in the village of Multnomah, where they join hundreds of other volunteers. They pick up the carefully prepared meals and addresses of homebound seniors in Sherwood who will receive them.

Meals on Wheels delivers 5000 meals in Multnomah, Washington and Clark counties. For Thanksgiving, the meals are very special.