Area rescue missions celebrated Thanksgiving with volunteers and those in need.
Area rescue missions celebrated Thanksgiving with volunteers and those in need.
The Utica Rescue Mission provided a nice, warm meal to several people.
Dozens of community members came out to help serve the food.
Oneida County Executive Anthony Picente was also there serving up mashed potatoes, stuffing and turkey to those who need it.
People with the Utica Rescue Mission say the turn out couldn’t be better.
“We live in a community where many of us know that a third of our community lives below the poverty line. But thanks to the generosity of our community and the rescue mission, we are able to put on a Thanksgiving feast for people in our community who are less fortunate than ourselves,” Jim Haid said.
The rescue mission served more than 14,000 meals up until Thanksgiving.
And the Rome Rescue Mission did the same.
They served a continental breakfast. There was a prayer after that, and of course the Thanksgiving feast.
There were lots of happy faces, and people from the rescue mission say they get a lot of satisfaction by helping the community.
“We do this every year for the community because there is a need for it. Obviously with the kind of numbers that we have today, serving over two meals and baskets and when we have it all totaled out it was about 2,500 meals,” Maryjoe Timpano said.
The rescue mission gave out Thanksgiving baskets filled with food items too.
