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Nov 27, 2008 7:10 pm US/Central
Gobble, Gobble! Volunteers Deliver Turkey Dinners
ST. PAUL (WCCO) ―
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About 2,500 people from all over the metro gathered Thursday morning to support Meals on Wheels, and get Thanksgiving dinners to 15,022 people.
CBS
Every Thanksgiving morning for the past 39 years, an army of volunteers gathers at Cretin Derham High School in St. Paul.
Bill Foussard leads the annual "Gobble, Gobble" chant and the enthusiasm is unbelievable for 5 a.m.
"Are we having a good Thanksgiving?" Foussard yells to his team of volunteers. They enthusiastically reply, "Yeah!!!"
About 2,500 people from all over the metro gathered Thursday morning to support Meals on Wheels, and get Thanksgiving dinners to 15,022 people.
"It's a pretty special experience," said one volunteer. "A lot of camaraderie."
For some it's a tradition years in the making. For others, it's a new beginning.
"This is my first time here," said Sandy Novitz, of Eagan, Minn. "I'm very impressed how organized it is, and it's fun -- great people."
For everyone, it's a lot of hard work. The original volunteers are now training a younger generation of volunteers.
"We're just kind of learning step-by-step, right now," said Luke Aslesen. His mother, Barb Aslesen, helped start the Thanksgiving tradition with Foussard.
Luke Aslesen and his brother, Eric Aslesen, said the tradition will always be a part of them.
"We trust the people, and we trust God to just take care of it," Luke Aslesen said. "And obviously there is a lot of hard work that goes into it."
"You know, some families go in and there's eight kids lying on the ground, sharing two mattresses," said Connor Russell, of St. Paul. "Definitely help out a lot of people."
Volunteers get that feeling too.
"It starts my Thanksgiving very nicely," one volunteer said. "Makes me thankful for what I have."
The meals were all delivered Thursday morning by volunteer drivers across the metro. Any family that says they are in need is eligible to receive one of the Meals on Wheels Thanksgiving dinners.
(© MMIX, CBS Broadcasting Inc. All Rights Reserved.)
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