Felita Vaughn woke up Thanksgiving morning with a problem. She didn’t have the money to buy a traditional holiday meal for herself and her 9-year-old grandson Jionni. And so, the 70-year-old Uptown resident searched the internet for a miracle.
An hour and two bus rides later, Vaughn and Jionni sat at a table inside the Salvation Army Freedom Center for a Thanksgiving dinner of turkey, cranberry sauce, stuffing, green beans and — Jionni’s favorite — pumpkin pie.
“This was perfect timing,” Vaughn said. “The atmosphere is amazing. As soon as you walk in the door, the people are so lovely.”
For the last eight years, Chicago-based Levy Restaurants has partnered with the Salvation Army to serve Thanksgiving meals to people in need. An estimated 4,000 meals were prepared by Levy cooks and volunteers and delivered to the Salvation Army’s Humboldt Park location early Thursday morning, a task that required 1,700 pounds of turkey, 680 pounds of cranberries, 400 pounds of sweet potatoes, 440 pounds of russet potatoes, 300 pounds of green beans, 180 pounds of bread for stuffing and 160 pounds of butter.
“It’s a fabulous meal,” said Salvation Army community center director Capt. Nikki Hughes. “They do an excellent job.”
Dozens of volunteers began arriving at 7 a.m. to help decorate dinner tables in the gymnasium. In a nearby hallway, Bronzeville resident Belinda Lambert and others helped package dinners in to-go bags, an option born out of the COVID-19 pandemic.
Lambert started volunteering at the annual Thanksgiving dinner in 2018, when she joined an auxiliary of the Tau Psi Zeta, the Alsip-based chapter of Zeta Phi Beta Sorority, Incorporated. The sorority has spent at least a decade volunteering with the Salvation Army.
This year’s dinner carried added significance for Lambert, as it coincided with her 55th birthday.
“It fills my heart up to be able to serve the community,” she said. “If I smile and they smile in return, that’s my joy right there.”
More than a dozen members of the Sikh Religious Society were also on hand to volunteer, continuing a relationship with the Salvation Army that stretches back to 1992. Members also brought a van loaded with food for the pantry and a $1,700 donation.
“Today is a good day,” said Sarwan Singh Bolina, 70. “I’m happy to be here.”
1 of 8
Inside the gymnasium, volunteers served each guest, handing out plates of food, water and lemonade from large trays. At one table, Flor Vazquez and her husband, Rodolfo, sat with their two children, Noemi, 11, and Valeria, 8. The Humboldt Park family said this was their fourth year having Thanksgiving dinner at the Salvation Army.
“We like to feel surrounded by people on a special day,” said Flor Vazquez, 39. “The people, the kindness, how they welcome you — we’re grateful.”
Across the gymnasium, the Madrid family from Honduras ate their first Thanksgiving meal in the United States. Seven-year-old Dereck called everything on his plate “yummy,” while his sister Cristel, 11, singled out the pumpkin pie as her favorite.
While people ate in the gym, Andrew Ward, Salvation Army community social service director, and his mobile outreach team loaded up vans to deliver meals at a handful of spots on the North and West sides. The day’s fifth stop was at the corner of West Madison Street and South Albany Avenue in the Garfield Park neighborhood.
At least a dozen people stood in the cold while Ward’s team dished out food from aluminum serving trays. The deliveries would continue until the food ran out.
“It makes me even more thankful that we can get out here and help those in need,” said Ward, 53.
Meanwhile, back at the Freedom Center gymnasium, Felita Vaughn and her grandson Jionni had finished their dinner. Earlier in the day, Jionni said he was interested in coming back next year, perhaps as a volunteer.
“I just want to be nice,” he said.
About half an hour later, Jionni pushed a trash can along a row of tables, stopping so people could dispose of their empty plates. When he got to the end of the row, he approached a volunteer and asked what else he could do to help.
Originally Published:
