Devoted volunteers hope new Dorothy Day Place will bring best Thanksgiving dinner yet
Dorothy Day volunteers prepare a turkey for Thanksgiving dinner.
ST. PAUL, Minn. (FOX 9) - If giving has an address, it’s inside the new Dorothy Day Place.
The gifts given at this location in St. Paul are not just food, they’re volunteers.
One of them is Jim Erdman, who has been volunteering for over a decade. Another, Kevin Johnson, has been there 15 years along with Ron Linden, the “Master of Ceremonies,” according to his fellow volunteers.
“Last year we did only about 20 and this year we’re up to about 44,” said Johnson. “With this new facility, we serve more people.”
The new and expansive Dorothy Day Place for the Homeless is a blessing in itself.
“For two years, we served, we prepared our food at a distribution and transported it to a small facility where we served in shifts,” said Mike DeJong, the Dorothy Day Place chef. “Now, everyone can eat at one place.”
“We’re fortunate to be able to feed at one time 350 people,” said Wendy Underwood, of Catholic Charities. “And what’s really special about Thanksgiving Day is volunteers will serve the meals to our residents and guests and clients right here at the table just to really appreciate the spirit of the day.”
It’s a spirit that’s alive in the kitchen and is all served up by a team of volunteers who live Thanksgiving every day.
Almost everything involved at the Dorothy Day Dinner is donated. The volunteer time and the meal itself is donated by the Shakopee Mdewakanton Sioux Community.