Love Feast ready to feed 3,000
The annual Thanksgiving community meal starts at 11 a.m. Thursday at the Civic Center.
Organizers of the 29th annual Love Feast are prepared to serve about 3,000 people this year. The free Thanksgiving Day meal runs from 11 a.m. to 2 p.m. at the Rome Civic Center on Jackson Hill.
“At this point, all we need is donations to pay for what we’ve got,” founder Terrell Shields said Monday. “That, and some desserts, coats, jackets and sweaters.”
In addition to turkey, dressing and all the fixings, attendees will be able to choose some warm clothes to take home.
Donations can be brought to the Civic Center from 6 to 8 p.m. Wednesday or on Thursday morning. Checks can be mailed to Thanksgiving Love Feast, P.O. Box 161, Rome, GA 30161.
Meanwhile, volunteers have been shopping and stockpiling food for the big day. Shields said they manage each year “by the grace of God” and help from the community.
“Southeastern Mills has been a partner from day one; they donate all the turkey gravy and cornbread for dressing,” he said. “And for the last seven years, Pizza Hut has been providing pizza for those who don’t want turkey, or who want turkey and pizza.”
There’s also a group that delivers meals to the elderly or homebound in the city.
Shields said anyone who needs a delivery should contact him by 6 p.m. Wednesday at 706-234-2091 to be put on the list.
The Rome Community Kitchen, at 4 Calhoun Ave., will be serving its Thanksgiving meal on Wednesday, so as not to conflict
with the Love Feast.
“They do Thanksgiving and we do Christmas,” Director Drew Taylor said with a smile.
The kitchen is open from 10:45 a.m. to noon, Monday through Friday, except on Thanksgiving.
Taylor said volunteers served 240 meals in that hour and 15 minutes Monday but are expecting only about 160 to 200 on
Wednesday. Turkey and dressing is already prepared, he said, and there are plenty of supplies to round out the meal — including pumpkin pie. For holidays, he said, they plan far ahead.
“We’re already on to Christmas, and we have so many wonderful donors in the community that all we need is hams,” Taylor said.