Len Angelli is ready for a busy turkey day.
Angelli, who coordinates the Thanksgiving day meal at Sacred Heart Church in Lebanon, is preparing to serve up around 2,000 takeout meals with a team of volunteers.
“Anyone, no matter what their economic status, we will not turn anyone away,” Angelli said.
Last year, volunteers served up around 1,600 meals, both takeout and in-person at the church. This year, all the meals will be takeout, and Angelli is looking for more volunteers to deliver meals throughout the region. He’s rented tents to allow for social distancing during food preparation and refrigerated trucks to store meals.
“The biggest day for volunteers is Wednesday (Nov. 25), and that is where we are down at the hall and in the tents and we’re pulling apart turkeys, we’re putting together the to-go containers,” Angelli said. “Our goal is to hopefully have a bunch of meals made the night before on Wednesday so we can start delivering right away. We’ll need a lot of drivers on Thursday.”
The meals, which are free, can be requested up until Wednesday, Nov. 25, by calling 603-448-6575 and can either be picked up on Thursday or delivered. People can also volunteer or find out how to donate by calling the same phone number.
This year’s meal will take more money to pull together due to the cost of takeout containers, Angelli said. Normally, the meal costs $8,000-$10,000, while this year it will be around $12,000-$14,000.
“Everything is sent out cold,” he said. “Every single thing that’s left over, we take to the Haven.”
Angelli is one of many people throughout the Upper Valley who are working to get Thanksgiving meals to those who request them. Elsewhere, nonprofit organizations are preparing for — and seeing — an increase in the need for meal baskets, which include items needed to make Thanksgiving dinner.
“Ordinarily we probably do 750-800 turkeys and side items, and this year we’re planning on 1,000,” said Jennifer Fontaine, director of operations at the Upper Valley Haven and co-chair of the Hunger Council of the Upper Valley. “We just figured it seems better to prepare for more and if we don’t have them, we will have them to give out.”
The Haven will distribute the boxes on Nov. 21 at Hartford High School, and people do not need to register in advance. New Hampshire residents can cross the border to Vermont to get the boxes, as it is considered an essential service, Fontaine said. They do not need to prove economic need and can also pick up boxes for people as a proxy.
“We’re seeing new people come to use the food shelf, so just the idea that the need is probably there, so we might as well plan for it,” Fontaine said. “I think for us with the drive-thru model it will be more appealing to people who are worried about their safety.”
In the Mascoma Valley, Friends of Mascoma Foundation is partnering with the Mascoma Valley Ecumenical Council to put together Thanksgiving boxes. Additionally, Friends of Mascoma is working with the National Honor Society at Mascoma Valley Regional High School to put together 60 Thanksgiving boxes for families in the district. As of Tuesday, they’ve had 52 families in the Mascoma district sign up.
“We also put together some breakfast items, oatmeal cereals, a few snacks maybe some easy pasta and sauces for the rest of that long weekend,” said Eula Kozma, executive director of Friends of Mascoma.
Additionally, the nonprofit and Ecumenical Council are preparing 120 boxes, up from 100 last year, as part of its Thanksgiving Ingathering program. People must sign up by Friday at friendsofmascoma.org.
“We thought there was going to be an increase in need, and part of that is the times, the economy, the job market, those financial uncertainties,” Kozma said. “Everyone is sort of pivoting and staying home and coming up with their own ways to make things festive without spending a lot of money or traveling.”
The way the boxes are being put together has also changed. The Ecumenical Council typically coordinates with Boy and Girl Scout groups in the area to do a food drive for Thanksgiving meal items. This year, they’re ordering items through Friends of Mascoma, which can get food through the New Hampshire Food Bank, and George’s AG Super Value in Enfield. They’ve also requested monetary donations instead of food.
“We decide that we needed to do something so that not so many people were handling it,” said Sandi Charbono, co-organizer with Barbara Bickel, of the Thanksgiving Ingathering, which has been hosted by the Ecumenical Council for around 30 years.
“There are people who are out of work and don’t have the wherewithal to buy it,” Charbono said. “If these people who get a decent-sized turkey have a small family, they can make more meals out of it.”
■Claremont Soup Kitchen: Request turkeys by calling 603-543-3290. They can be picked up from 1-3 p.m. on Nov. 21. The nonprofit will also hold a Thanksgiving takeout meal on Nov. 19 at 4 p.m. Facebook: “Claremont Soup Kitchen, Inc.”
■Patrons of the Randolph Area Food Shelf may select one item from the Thanksgiving shelf each time they do regular shopping during the month of November. In addition, members of the Community Outreach Committee will be on hand during store hours to give out turkeys from Nov. 19-Nov. 24. randolphareafoodshelf.org.
■The Thetford Food Shelf is distributing grocery and gift cards this year instead of Thanksgiving meal baskets. The cards will be available at the Thetford Food Shelf and can be picked up on Tuesday and Thursday mornings from 10 a.m.-noon beginning Nov. 10. The cards can also be mailed. Call 612-719-8618 or 802-785-4168 for more information.
■Any Vermont resident can register in person by Nov. 14 at the Woodstock Food Shelf (217 Maxham Meadow Way) to receive a Thanksgiving basket. Call 802-457-1185 for more information.
Liz Sauchelli can be reached at esauchelli@vnews.com or 603-727-3221.
Corrections
People can request Thanksgiving meals from Sacred Heart Church in Lebanon up until Wednesday, Nov. 25.
Residents of Thetford, Vershire, West Fairlee, Fairlee and Strafford may call 612-719-8618 to request a gift card to pay for the items needed to make a Thanksgiving meal.
Additionally, the Friends of Mascoma is partnering with the National Honor Society at Mascoma Valley Regional High School to put together 60 Thanksgiving boxes for families in the district. The nonprofit organization is also helping the Mascoma Valley Ecumenical Council get food through the New Hampshire Food Bank, which will go toward 120 boxes the council is preparing for families throughout the Mascoma Valley.
