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Nov 26, 2009 1:13 pm US/Central
Volunteers Pack 15,000 Meals For Those In Need
ST. PAUL (WCCO) ―
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Volunteers packed Cretin Derham Hall Thanksgiving morning to prepare 15,000 meals for those in need.
CBS
While most of us were still sleeping this morning, hundreds of volunteers prepared thousands of meals for those in need on this Thanksgiving holiday.
The Thanksgiving Meals on Wheels program provided 15,000 Thanksgiving meals to families in and around the Twin Cities.
"It's like a fine-oiled machine," said volunteer Paulette Lewis. "It's just fantastic."
Hundreds of volunteers crammed into the cafeteria of Cretin Derham High School in St. Paul. Many stood shoulder to shoulder, scooping stuffing, packing canned vegetables and frozen pies for 2,700 families. They started at 3 a.m.
"It's gotten more fun each year," Lewis said. "I wouldn't miss it for the world."
Lewis has brought her kids to volunteer for the Thanksgiving Meals on Wheels program for the past five years.
It's a tradition for many families, but for Christian Crebar, it's a first.
"We're giving meals for people that don't have it, so they can have a good Thanksgiving," he said.
That was what Bill Foussard and Barb Aslesen had in mind when they served their first meals with the program in 1970. Now, they're turning the program over to Aslesen's children.
"There are so many things to learn from my mom and Bill that as much as it gets me excited because my brothers and I have such a heart for the mission and the less fortunate, it's a little scary and intimidating at times, but hopefully I can fill the big shoes," Hannah Aslesen said.
They will most certainly have a lot of help.
"I think it's good to give it to the next generation," Lewis said.
Hannah Aslesen said she can't imagine spending the holiday any other way.
"This is tradition, and this is where I want to be for many years to come," she said.
(© MMX, CBS Broadcasting Inc. All Rights Reserved.)
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