It will be a happy Thanksgiving for some local families thanks to the generosity of a local businessman.
A crowd lined up behind a giant truck Wednesday afternoon in Windsor at the Downtown Mission's food bank on Ouellette Ave., to receive one of over 200 Thanksgiving turkeys made possible by a donation from Sam Sinjari.
Downtown Mission Executive Director Ron Dunn says their Thanksgiving turkey giveaway has been going on one way or another for a few years, but this is somebody who took the initiative this year to help needy families.
"This is a young man who just stepped up and called us, we didn't search him out," says Dunn. "He called us up to say 'Hey, listen, I think I can help'. So it means the world to us, and you saw the lineup, you saw the crowd. 200 families are going to have a Thanksgiving dinner this year that wouldn't have had it without Sam's generosity."
Sinjari, a well-dressed young man who declined to be interviewed and did not give the name of his business, helped distribute the turkeys to a line that had begun forming that morning. To receive a turkey, clients came to the Mission to get a ticket and returned later to get in line. Those in line with tickets were given turkeys first. A few additional people without tickets were given a turkey after everyone in line was taken care of.
Family holidays like Thanksgiving, Christmas, Easter and others can be difficult for area homeless or the underemployed who otherwise may not be able to afford a $30 full-size turkey, Dunn says. But the Mission is definitely there to help people who may be hungry or have no place to go for the holiday, and there are plans for Thanksgiving Monday itself.
"Our shelter is open seven days a week, 365 days a year," Dunn says. "Monday we're expecting about 250 to 300 people for a full turkey dinner at our location on Victoria, so no need to be alone at Thanksgiving."
Dunn says 15 turkeys will be trimmed and carved, then served along with up to 70 lbs of mashed potatoes, cranberry sauce and the rest.
To find out more about the Downtown Mission or to donate, call (519) 973-5573 or click here.