By Dawn Krebs
dkrebs@hometownnewsol.com
ST. LUCIE COUNTY - For the last 23 years, Mustard Seed ministries, organizers of the annual community Thanksgiving feast, have cooked, served and given thanks with and for hundreds of county residents.
This year, the final details of the event are settling into place, despite a recent setback when one of its trucks was stolen.
"It will be double work for the feast, but we'll manage," said Stacy Malinowski, program director for the ministry, which helps residents of St. Lucie County with food, housing and other needs. The ministry is celebrating its 25th anniversary this year.
Last year, more than 2,000 volunteers served Thanksgiving dinners and delivered food to approximately 12,000 residents of St. Lucie County.
In Fort Pierce, a large tent will be set up on the corner of Orange Avenue and Ninth Street that will seat about 100 people. In Port St. Lucie, Thanksgiving dinner will be served at The Refuge, 7650 S. U.S. 1.
As guests come in and sit, volunteers working an assembly line will provide plates of food. No registration to eat is needed.
Police and youth volunteers will help with parking and traffic concerns during the dinner.
Those who wish to help are asked to arrive by 10:30 a.m. in Fort Pierce. If volunteers wish to help prep the food, they will be needed from 9 a.m. to 1 p.m. on Nov. 21 at St. Mark's Missionary Baptist Church, 921 Orange Ave. in Fort Pierce. Volunteers are asked to use the South 10th Street entrance to the parking lot. Delivery drivers should sign in at the volunteer tent at 9:30 a.m.
The dinners will be served from 11 a.m. to about 1:30 p.m. Those who need a meal delivered should call (772) 460-5414 no later than Nov. 19 to sign up.
But there are still some Thanksgiving needs the ministry is trying to meet before the event.
"We are drastically down on donations this year," Ms. Malinowski said. "We're getting a lot of support for the turkeys and food, but we need monetary support for the other things."
Those things include paying for renting tents, chairs, tables and port-a-lets, in addition to the various items needed to actually cook the meal and clean up afterward.
"For example, we have to buy 22 cases of foil pans just to cook the turkeys in," she said. "In all, we spend about $22,000 a year on putting on the event from start to finish."
But, as always, a number of people and organizations have stepped up to help. Ms. Malinowski is thankful for all the good that is out there.
"This community is amazing and I can't give enough credit to the churches, businesses and people here that chip in to make this happen," she said. "To see the community as a whole come together to help make this happen, this is what Thanksgiving is all about."
For more information, call Mustard Seed Ministries at (772) 465-6021.