Vancouver's Union Gospel Mission to serve 3,000 Thanksgiving Day meals
'It's been a busy week but at the end of the day it's all worth it,' says kitchen manager Randy Spark
There are probably few people who have worked harder than kitchen manager Randy Spark and his team at Vancouver's Union Gospel Mission to prepare a Thanksgiving Day meal.
That's because, for days, the agency — which provides shelter, food, outreach and spiritual support to the city's homeless and poor — has been preparing 2,500 lb. of turkey meat to be divided up for 3,000 meals.
"We've got ice cream upstairs, we have about 800 lb. of stuffing, about 800 lb. of vegetables, it's just ongoing, it's just non-stop on top of everything else throughout the day," said Spark. "So yeah it's been a busy week but at the end of the day it's all worth it.
"I can't tell you how many times I've had somebody come up and tell me they enjoyed the meal and to me that alone is what makes it worth it."
Meals will be served from 10:30 a.m. to 4:30 p.m. PT on Monday and volunteers, including Mayor Gregor Robertson, will help serve.
Jenna was homeless in the woods last fall. This <a href="https://twitter.com/hashtag/Thanksgiving?src=hash">#Thanksgiving</a> she is serving 3,000 meals at UGM to others in need. <a href="https://twitter.com/hashtag/sharethanksgiving?src=hash">#sharethanksgiving</a> <a href="https://t.co/wheLePWKCH">pic.twitter.com/wheLePWKCH</a>
—@ugm