A meal and more
Salvation Army plans community Thanksgiving dinner in Hot Springs
Thanksgiving will come a day early this year, thanks to the efforts of The Salvation Army.
The Salvation Army will open its doors to the community from 5-7 p.m. Wednesday at 115 Crescent Ave. in Hot Springs. All are invited to share in a meal and fellowship. There is no charge.
“We want people to come and eat,” said Maj. Jonathan McBride, who directs the local program with his wife, Maj. Tina McBride. “We also want people to come and sit and visit with others, even if they don’t need a meal.
“We want people to come and join in fellowship with others, to connect with others. Some folks who come here don’t need a handout; they need the fellowship of others.
“If you are in the community and not extremely needy, there is still a place for you here. You don’t have to be homeless to come here. If you just need to reconnect with people, come here. We are a ministry, 24/7. We want to minister to the whole person — physically and spiritually.”
McBride, who has been with the Hot Springs Salvation Army for about four years, said the Thanksgiving meal will include turkey and dressing and all the trimmings. Some of the food has been donated, while some has been purchased.
“We will have plenty of food,” he said. “And we have a big dining room, so there will be plenty of room.
“If somebody wants to bring by an extra turkey, we’ll take it,” he said with a laugh.
Volunteers are also needed to help set up and serve, as well as to clean up afterward. McBride said The Salvation Army will offer a similar meal before Christmas.
The Salvation Army operates a soup kitchen Monday through Friday that serves a meal at 5 p.m. five nights a week. A hot meal is offered Mondays, Wednesdays and Fridays, and a sack supper is provided on Tuesdays and Thursdays.
McBride said most of the 140 to 145 people who partake of this service pick up the meal and take it home to eat.
“And some eat it outside under the canopy,” he said, noting that the kitchen serves upward of 200 meals during the summer months.
“It fluctuates,” he said. “It depends a lot on the weather.”
McBride said The Salvation Army has had a presence in the community for more than 70 years.
“Since we have been here, we are trying to advance the programs that are already in place,” he said. “We want to do more.”
The McBrides moved to Hot Springs from Maryland. He is originally from Fort Smith, while she is from Bartlesville, Oklahoma.
They have been Salvation Army officers for 21 years and have served in several states. They have a son, Aaron, 10, and a daughter, Anna, 20.
In addition to operating a soup kitchen, The Salvation Army has a social-services office.
Jim Hoffpauir directs that office, which disperses food, clothing and vouchers, and offers assistance with utilities.
“We want to enhance all of these programs,” McBride said. “In fact, we just did take the soup kitchen [program] to five days a week. We didn’t have the funds when I first came here. Now we have added Tuesday and Thursday as well. We hope to offer a hot meal [instead of a sack supper] on those two other days soon.”
McBride wants to “emphasize the need for volunteers five days a week.” he said. “We typically have five adult volunteers per night. That’s in addition to the cook. We need folks to help serve up the food.
“We serve out of a window, carry-out style. Folks are welcome to come in and sit down to eat their meal, and they sometimes do, particularly if it’s wet and rainy. But most pick it up and take it home.”
The local Salvation Army also offers a senior citizens program from 9 a.m. to 1 p.m. Tuesdays.
“It’s bingo,” he said, laughing. “That’s the big attraction. It’s also a fellowship, a way to meet people.
“We serve all walks of life. We tend to see people who are down and out on their luck, but not always.”
McBride said volunteers are needed all year long, “not just during the holidays.”
“If you could come one day a month and volunteer, that would be great.”
McBride said the Red Kettle Campaign started Thursday. Residents can expect to see volunteers ringing the bells around the area as they collect donations to help those in need.
The Angel Tree program is underway as well. An angel tree is set up in the Sears Court at the Hot Springs Mall. Residents may select a card from the tree and buy gifts for that “special angel.”
McBride said The Salvation Army operates two family thrift stores in Hot Springs. Proceeds from those stores are used to help fund the organization’s local programs.
One family thrift store is at 109 Crescent Ave., at the corner of Malvern and Crescent avenues, and the other is at 4407 Central Ave., near Hobby Lobby.
The stores are open from 9 a.m. to 4 p.m. Monday through Saturday.
For more information about The Salvation Army and its services in the community, call the office at (501) 623-1628. To donate items for the family thrift stores, including scheduling a truck to pick up large items, call (501) 623-1641.