SOYA celebrates Thanksgiving with free meals (5 photos)

Close to 200 community members are expected to pass through the doors of Save Our Young Adults (SOYA) this afternoon as the non-profit is providing free Thanksgiving meals to locals who need a hot meal.

Helping substance users for over 11 years now, volunteers with SOYA were hard at work today as they helped fill lots of empty bellies.

SOYA president Connie Raynor-Elliott is thrilled with how the day has gone so far.

“It’s going fantastic,” she says. “The lineup started shortly after 11 a.m. Everyone’s loving the food, there’s lots of great conversations. It’s a great day. Everyone deserves Thanksgiving dinner, so that’s what we’re doing.”

In addition to coffee and other refreshments, the meals feature all the Thanksgiving favourites – turkey, ham, stuffing, cranberries, mashed potatoes, carrots, and fresh rolls.

All the food was prepped at Algoma Public Health-approved kitchens before being served at SOYA’s community centre.

Raynor-Elliott says a couple donated homemade apple jelly and apple sauce from their own apple tree, and one woman from Mill Market baked three German chocolate cakes.

“We have a lot of community support,” she says. “We’re just so blessed.”

SOYA regularly feeds around 130 people every Saturday, but numbers are expected to be higher today for their Thanksgiving meal.

Their president explains the people they serve come from all walks of life.

“There’s lots of seniors, new Canadians, and students,” she says. “We help out anybody and everybody we can. Nobody should be alone or go hungry.”

Raynor-Elliot adds that as the weather gets cooler, they’re in need of winter coats, boots, mitts, blankets, and non-perishable foods.