The Salvation Army along with many other organizations in the community is gearing up for its annual Thanksgiving dinner, and they're expecting it to be bigger than ever.

Major Alfred Parker says last years Thanksgiving meal fed a record number of people but this year they think they may have even more hungry mouths to feed, he says he expects about 1,000 to 1,100 people on Thursday.
Major Parker says he's seen a shift in the types of people stopping in for a hot meal, he says, "it's not a 50 year old male anymore it's a family and children; it's people who are truly in need and some finding themselves in need for the very first time."

Another group in need Parker says is the elderly and handicapped and that's where Canyon View Vineyard Church comes in, Outreach Pastor Bob Clifford and about 85 volunteers will be delivering meals to those people who can't physically make it to the Elks Lodge. The church expects to deliver about 600 meals and he suspects there's even more who just haven't reached out for help. Clifford says, "I think there are probably more people out there who haven't asked so I thought we'd have even more people than the extra two hundred."

With more than 100 turkey's and all the trimmings Major Parker and Pastor Bob say the communities needs this Thanksgiving should hopefully be filled, and maybe there will even be room for pie.

The meal is open to the community and is free of charge this Thursday at the Elks Lodge in Grand Junction from 11am to 1pm. Transportation from the homeless shelter will also be provided. Any elderly or handicapped person who'd like a meal delivered you can still request one before Thursday, call 242–7513.