Open door policy

Area shelter offers Thanksgiving meal to anyone in need

 Volunteers serve a Thanksgiving lunch to anyone needing a meal Thursday at the Randy Sams' Outreach Shelter. More than 300 meals were served at the annual event.
Volunteers serve a Thanksgiving lunch to anyone needing a meal Thursday at the Randy Sams' Outreach Shelter. More than 300 meals were served at the annual event.

As she ate her Thanksgiving lunch Thursday at the Randy Sams' Outreach Shelter, Tinia Ford shed a few tears and talked about holidays past.

She nodded when someone asked her if the holidays can be a hard time.

"They are," she said.

photo

Eilish Palmer/Contributing Photographer

From the left, Michelle Ford, program director for Arkansas Preschool Plus in Conway; Charlotte Green, executive director of Arkansas Preschool Plus; and first lady Ginger Beebe stand with a cardboard cutout of singer Dolly Parton, who founded Imagination Library to provide free books for a year to children from birth to 5 years old. At a Conway Rotary Club meeting, Arkansas Preschool Plus announced that it is an Imagination Library affiliate.

The staff and volunteers at Randy Sams' work hard every year to make the holidays a little bit easier for a lot of people.

No matter the struggle, no matter the circumstances, anyone who needed a meal was welcome Thursday at the shelter at 402 Oak St. for a Thanksgiving dinner with turkey and all the trimmings.

Volunteers served heaping plates of food to those attending. They also refilled cups of tea and, some of the youngest volunteers passed out plates of cake and other desserts.

Ford and many others left with carry-out boxes.

Glenda Thrash, who helped coordinate the volunteers, said it's been a rewarding experience for many of them.

"They are loving the people in there and that's what Thanksgiving is all about," she said.

Jennifer Laurent, Randy Sams' executive director, said she believes the shelter surpassed the 350 meals served last year.

"I think we've had more people eating. It's been really steady."

Volunteers, along with donations of food and kitchen items, have helped make the meal a success, Laurent said.

Turkey and ham were served along with sides such as corn and dressing. Numerous desserts were also provided.

"I think every dessert that's been imagined is here," Laurent said.

The shelter was also able to send food home with people who wanted to eat elsewhere.

Volunteers helped serve food, helped people keep their drinks filled, and also cleaned the kitchen and took out garbage.

Mary Clayton, of Kleen-N-Kleen, a company that sells cleaning products door to door, volunteered Thursday along with an army of employees.

"Instead of selling, we are giving our time today," she said.

Clayton's young grandchildren helped pass out desserts.

"I saw this in the paper and thought 'We can do this,"" Clayton said.

The community meal is always open to anyone in need.

Upcoming Events