Salvation Army serves annual Thanksgiving feast

November 25, 2015 at 12:08a.m.

youngstown

The smell of slowly roasting turkeys wafted Tuesday through the parking lot of the Salvation Army of Mahoning County.

Volunteers busied themselves with preparations for the annual Thanksgiving meal, which is from 11 a.m. to 2 p.m. today at 1501 Glenwood Avenue.

The event, free and open to the public, typically attracts more than 700 people, according to Salvation Army volunteers.

Tables in the Salvation Army gymnasium will be heaped with desserts and sides, including sweet potatoes, cranberry sauce, stuffing, collard greens and cornbread.

All involved, however, agreed that the turkey will be the star of the show.

Gus Giannios of Gus’ Catering and Giannios Candy in Struthers spent more than six hours Tuesday in the Salvation Army parking lot overseeing the preparation of 50 turkeys. Giannios and his helpers cooked the turkeys in a wood smoker donated by Donavito’s Italian Grille.

Giannios became the event’s turkey point man six years ago.

Bev Strollo, a Salvation Army volunteer, recalled discovering that the organization had two ovens to cook some 50 turkeys in the span of a day.

“I thought, this wasn’t going to work and so we advertised for someone with a smoker,” she said. “Then there was a knock on the kitchen door and it was Gus wanting to help.”

Ever since, it’s been impossible to imagine the event without Giannios cooking the turkeys, Strollo said.

Once the turkeys are cleaned, cooked and seasoned with garlic, salt, paprika and oregano, another group of volunteers will arrive to carve and plate them.

The preparations for a feast on such a massive scale are extensive, so volunteers, including those from the Salvation Army’s Women’s Auxiliary branch, will join forces with the Salvation Army’s regular employees to prepare and serve the meal, according to Salvation Army Maj. Valerie Kahn.

Organizations including the Mahoning County Farm Bureau and the Second Harvest Food Bank of the Mahoning Valley contributed food.