Salvation Army officials serve thousands of meals on Thanksgiving Day

PHOENIX - It's been a busy few weeks for the Salvation Army and its volunteers prepping the Thanksgiving meal.

The meal, which was held at the Phoenix Convention Center, was designed to serve nearly 6,000 people, and the main man behind it all, executive chef Patrick Kehler, has been cooking the 2,000 pounds of turkey since Saturday.

"We have about 1,000 pounds of potatoes, 900 pounds of stuffing, and 850 pounds of vegetables," he said.

Also being served are 875 pies.

Chef Patrick says he loves to cook for events, but this one is always his favorite.

"This one hits home with it being Thanksgiving," he said. "Being a chef, you love to feed people and put your heart into your food and there’s no better way than Thanksgiving to do that."

He's thankful for the countless volunteers, like Seth who gave up their morning to help.

"My whole family is here volunteering at the same station," said Seth. "It feels really good. For me and my family, we’ve been moving around a lot and we like to help in every area we go and it’s a fun chance to help others who need it."

The Salvation Army relies on these volunteers and the organization is hoping volunteer efforts will stay strong.

"There’s so much to be done, about 900 people here today, but we’re going to need a lot more through the holiday season to make it a great year for those who are struggling," said Col. Wild with the Salvation Army.

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