Workers and volunteers at the Ottawa Mission are preparing for their annual Thanksgiving meal, and this year they expect to serve even more people than last year. Last Thanksgiving, the Ottawa Mission says it served 17,257 meals, setting a new record for the shelter. The Mission said in its annual impact statement that it has experienced another year of “unprecedented demand” for its services, including food. Chef Ric Allen-Watson told CTV Your Morning Ottawa on Thursday that food trucks have already started rolling out among the community ahead of the Monday meal. “We started Monday with our food trucks going to 42 lower income locations around Ottawa, handing out Thanksgiving meals,” Allen-Watson said. “That’ll go all the way until this coming Sunday. And then Monday coming, we’ll open our doors at the Ottawa Mission at 11 a.m. until 5 p.m. Everyone is welcome for a nice turkey Thanksgiving dinner.” This year, the Ottawa Mission anticipates it will have served more than 18,000 meals by the end of the long weekend. “The need is there for sure,” Allen-Watson said. “And these people, they’re standing in line (for the food truck) whether it’s raining, or snowing, or it’s cold. These people are hungry. They’re not because they just want to get a free meal. They’re hungry.” Ottawa Mission CEO Peter Tilley says he’s seen the need firsthand with the food trucks and is expecting a large turnout at the Mission’s dining hall on Monday. “We’re seeing so many people that we’ve placed into housing, people who’ve gone through our addictions program coming down to the Mission to get a meal,” he said. “Usually toward month’s end, things are running out or maybe they’ve been laid off for the week. It’s always nice to say hi, but it tells you about the state of things that they can’t afford to eat and pay their bills or their rent, so they’re coming down maybe three or four times a month to get that meal to get them through the day.” Allen-Watson says the annual meal will feature oven-roasted turkey with giblet gravy, mashed potatoes, stuffing, squash and mixed vegetables, with a drink and dessert. “Nobody should be having a holiday meal alone,” said Tilley. “And we see so many people who we don’t see in months come down for the Thanksgiving, Christmas, and Easter meals.”
