It’s that time of the year when turkeys are on the minds of people getting ready for the Thanksgiving holiday — and the staff at the Friendship Table in Bradford are on the same wavelength.
The big difference at the Table is that turkeys are in short supply and many more are needed to provide a plentiful meal during the upcoming Thanksgiving dinner on Nov. 22.
Barbara Shufran, chairperson of the Table, said any and all donated turkeys will be more than welcome as the facility on East Corydon Street is down to six turkeys on hand.
“Any turkey will do, we just need turkeys,” Shufran said Thursday. “We’re going to be having a Thanksgiving meal” conducted by staff with the Edmond Chevrolet Buick GMC dealership in Bradford.
“They bring in all the people to serve it” and make a donation to the facility, she said of the dealership.
Joe Doriguzzi, co-chairperson at the Table, said the dealership volunteers have served Thanksgiving meals at the Table for a number of years. The dinners are always prepared by staff at the Table.
“We’ll have turkey, mashed potatoes, gravy, stuffing, yams and cranberry sauce,” Shufran said. In addition, dessert will be provided by students from Custer City Middle School, which is part of Beacon Light.
“They’ve been working on it and will bring a variety of desserts,” Shufran said of the students. “They’re going to deliver them to the Friendship Table on Nov. 21.”
Shufran said the table will accept other foods with the turkeys, such as the fixings for a holiday dinner. Also needed are donated favors that can be set out on the tables in the facility to provide a festive atmosphere.
“So far we haven’t heard if there will be (donated favors), because nobody has stepped up yet,” she said. “But we’ll do it” if nothing is donated.
Shufran said the meal, as well as other meals throughout the year, are open to all who attend the Table, which averages about 175 people during holiday gatherings.
“The door is open to anybody and everybody,” she said. “This is an invitation to the community.”
Doriguzzi noted that any additional turkeys donated will help feed the needy at the Table throughout the winter months and beyond.
“We use turkeys all year long,” he said of the meat, which is not only used as a main course, but also in soup and stew, among other dishes.
“We serve maybe six turkeys at a time for a meal,” he said of dinners that are prepared for approximately 120 people on an average night. “And they always come back for seconds because they’re hungry. We have a lot of kids, too.”
Doriguzzi said that as of January, the Table had served 31,223 meals to attendees. Since its opening 20 years ago in October of 1997, he said the Table has served 531,223 meals.
For more information on donations, contact the Table at 362-6658.
