IDAHO FALLS, Idaho (KIFI)– With nearly 80 volunteers filling the kitchen and dining hall, the Salvation Army of Idaho Falls continued its over 40-year Thanksgiving tradition Thursday morning, serving meals and spreading the message that everyone deserves a loving community and a full belly.
“It started out of the love of people, and it started with a desire to make people feel seen, valued and loved so much,” Lt. Jon-Marc Lamb of the Salvation Army of Idaho Falls said.
This tradition has been running for over 40 years, but would not have been possible without the help of volunteers.
“Today we have about 80 volunteers. We have volunteers helping in the kitchen with dishes, serving our community, delivering meals for people who are homebound, and just anything people can help with today. That’s what we have volunteers,” Lt. Brianna Lamb of the Salvation Army of Idaho Falls said.
Every year, the event serves about a thousand people each year.
At the beginning of the event, both Lieutenant Brianna and Jon-Marc Lamb made their remarks and joined everyone for a prayer in English and Spanish.
Idaho Falls Mayor Rebecca Casper was honored with a crystal bell and carved the turkey after her speech.
“This is where the rubber meets the road in terms of community and terms of service, in terms of, generous spirit. These are the things that make a community special,” Mayor Casper said.
One of the long time chefs, Juan Contreras, was given a white chef jacket to honor his hard work and dedication over the years.
“(We) want to thank the families that are come here every year. This isn’t just a one time thing for many of our volunteer families. They come with their children up the work as young as five years old because they have their kids helping here, because they want their kids to also see what they can be doing and things like that,” Brianna Lamb said.
