Waking up by 4 a.m. to throw dozens of turkeys in the oven is a normal part of Steve Perreault's Thanksgiving.
Perreault has cooked for Blessed Sacrament Church's Thanksgiving community meal for 17 years and will do so again this year.
"It's what we do for Thanksgiving," Perreault said.
He started in 1984 when his son, Brian, volunteered at the open-to-all holiday dinner to get a Cub Scouts badge.
Brian Perreault, now 27 and living in Fargo, still is helping at the dinner, along with his father.
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Steve Perreault said the Blessed Sacrament Church originally intended to feed the needy when it began holding Thanksgiving feasts 23 years ago.
Over the years, the church decided to invite anyone who wants to come, whether needy or just alone. All the food is donated by congregants and no one is obligated to pay for their meal.
The majority of the attendees are elderly or college students, said Reberta Krauth, one of the volunteer cooks and organizer of the event.
Last year, congregants donated about 200 turkeys, Perreault said. Only 50 turkeys are made for the Thanksgiving meal; the others are frozen for Christmas-time baskets.
On the table alongside the turkeys will be about 200 pounds of dressing, 26,000 rolls, 55 pumpkin pies, and tons of corn and potatoes, Krauth said.
Food not eaten will be taken to Churches United for the Homeless, along with a full dinner made specially for them.
The meal will be held at Blessed Sacrament Church, 210 5th Ave. W., West Fargo. People who need rides to the event or a meal delivered should call the church at (701) 282-3321 by Wednesday.
The following are other organizations in the Fargo-Moorhead community that also offer meals to the public:
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- The St. Joseph Catholic and Trinity Lutheran churches in Moorhead will hold their annual turkey dinner for anyone who is homeless or alone on Thanksgiving. The meal will be served from noon to 2 p.m. at St. Joseph Catholic Church, 1010 3rd Ave. S.
- Fargo's First Presbyterian Church, 650 2nd Ave. N., will offer pick-up and delivered meals. For a Thanksgiving meal to be delivered at noon Nov. 28, call the church office at (701) 293-6311.
- The Salvation Army will serve its Thanksgiving meal from 11:30 a.m. to 12:30 p.m. Nov. 28 at 304 Roberts St., Fargo, for those in need. The Salvation Army works with the Meals on Wheels program to deliver meals to the elderly, disabled and homebound. Call the Salvation Army to arrange for delivery at (701) 232-5565.
- Churches United for the Homeless, 203 6th St. S., Moorhead, will serve a full Thanksgiving meal starting at 6 p.m. Thursday to anyone off the street. The organization is expecting about 80 to 100 attendees.
- The Fargo Senior Commission will serve Thanksgiving dinners to anyone age 60 or older at all senior meal sites. Most dinners will be served on Tuesday; meal times vary at each site. There is a suggested donation of $3 and tickets are required in advance. For more information, call (701) 293-1440.
- The Dorothy Day House of Hospitality, Moorhead, offers Thanksgiving meals to its 10 residents and any of their invited guests.
Readers can reach Forum reporter Lisa Schneider at (701) 241-5529
