SIKESTON -- Organizers aren't quite sure how many people contribute and volunteer to the annual Thanksgiving dinner in Sikeston, but they know it's a community effort and it takes everyone involved to make it happen each year.
"I get antsy about it every year, and every year it always works out," said Marlene Stevens of Sikeston, who has coordinated the dinner for 12 years.
Beverly Baker started the dinner over 20 years ago, preparing the meal from her home kitchen. She fed 75 people that first year. In 2014, over 520 people were served meals on Thanksgiving day with 460 of those delivered into the community.
This year's Thanksgiving day meal falls on Nov. 26. Deliveries begin at 11 a.m. Thanksgiving day, and doors open for those who choose to dine in at noon at the Sikeston VFW Hall on Smith Street.
Soon Stevens and volunteers will canvas the senior housing in the area, making contact and taking names of those who would like to receive a meal, she said.
"It's a community Thanksgiving dinner, and everyone who helps is strictly a volunteer. Every penny we get is donated, and all of our labor is volunteer," said Mary Carr, who coordinates the meal with Stevens. "It's not just the people you help but the people you meet when doing it."
Anyone in need of a meal on Thanksgiving should contact Carr or Stevens.
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