While Thanksgiving brings cheer and joy for many families, some of central Alberta’s most vulnerable are getting a lift as well.
The Mustard Seed will host its annual Thanksgiving dinner on Monday at 5 p.m.
Byron Bradley, The Mustard Seed’s central Alberta director, said while they always have a dinner on Mondays, they try and make any of the meals they host around the holidays a little bit more memorable.
“We always try and make it a special meal, because … during the holidays, that’s when people feel isolated and lonely if they’re separated from family, so we always try and make it extra special,” he said.
For the past three years, the Mustard Seed has also supported those around central Alberta during this time of year in another way.
This year, in partnership with Co-Op, they raised enough money to purchase turkeys and the fixings for vulnerable families whose children participate in The Mustard Seed’s school lunch program.
Last year, they delivered 220 turkeys and other goodies to families. This year, 300 turkeys and sides were delivered to families in Red Deer, Penhold, Sylvan Lake, Innisfail and Elnora.
“We were really happy with the support with all the turkeys, and now we’ve expanded outside of Red Deer. Just awesome to help out with all these families,” said Bradley.