500+ volunteers at Durham Rescue Mission to provide 1,200 meals to families in need

DURHAM, N.C. (WNCN) – The night before Thanksgiving, it’s all hands on deck at the Durham Rescue Mission.

More than 500 volunteers will serve roughly 1,200 meals, including 80 turkeys, to families in need Thursday.

“Grab a plate because we don’t want leftovers,” said the director of operations Tony Gooch.

Dozens of volunteers helped prep the turkeys, including Arnica Foulkes. Foulkes said this was her sixth year helping the Rescue Mission prepare for their Thanksgiving feast.

“We just love doing it. It’s the yuckiest, but most fun job ever,” said Foulkes.

All 80 turkeys will cook on grills overnight, then get carved up for the meal at noon.

“Volunteers will show up tomorrow morning about 7 o’clock. They will pull them off the grill, start pulling them, and get them panned up,” said Gooch.

Gooch said they will take over for Meals on Wheels Thursday and deliver 400 meals to the community, plus serve an additional 800 to 1,000 meals at the Durham Rescue Mission.

“We’re a part of the Durham community. We’re a part of east Durham. We want the people around us to come in. It went from just the community around us to now people all over the Triangle show up. The more, the merrier,” Gooch said.

The Rescue Mission will also give away clothes, groceries, gift cards, bicycles, a TV, and an Xbox all those in need.

“A lot of people are not as fortunate as a lot of us are and it just feels good to give back and help those in need,” said volunteer Dick Westbrook.