KC Salvation Army Thanksgiving meal is back. How to go, where else to get free turkey

Turkey day is on the horizon. Luckily, there are a number of free meals and fellowship activities happening in the Kansas City area for anyone who is looking for a free meal or an opportunity to connect with their neighbors.

The Salvation Army in Kansas and Western Missouri is hosting one of Kansas City’s largest free Thanksgiving meals on the holiday. The event will be on Nov. 24 from 11 a.m. to 1 p.m. at the Linwood YMCA/James B. Nutter Sr. Community Center at 3800 Linwood Blvd.

The Salvation Army has served a Thanksgiving meal to Kansas Citians for over 40 years, and it is always free and open to the public. This year’s meal will be the Salvation Army’s first Thanksgiving meal in two years, since the onset of the pandemic.

“There is no charge, there is no need to sign up. They don’t need to bring anything at all, just their appetites and hopefully have a desire to be around others in the community and fellowship,” Salvation Army spokesperson Doug Donahoo said.

The meal will be donated by the Westin Crown Center and is expected to feed nearly 1,000 people with plates of turkey, mashed potatoes, gravy, green beans and pumpkin pie, according to Donahoo.

“The Salvation Army can’t do what it does without the support of the Kansas City community,” said Donahoo about the partnerships that make this event possible.

Can I get my meal delivered to me?

The Salvation Army does a major holiday meal for Thanksgiving and Christmas. With each meal, the organization also delivers around 500 to 600 meals to senior and homebound residents who will not be able to make it out in person. The registration for that list is closed for this Thanksgiving meal, but the Christmas meal delivery registration is open until Dec. 12. If you would like to sign up for a free meal and meal delivery from the Salvation Army on Christmas, visit here to sign up.

There are some restrictions when it comes to those deliveries. The Salvation Army will only deliver to locations that are inside Interstate 435 to the west and south, inside Interstate 470 to the east, and inside Highway 152 to the north, according to Donahoo. If you have questions about whether a home is within the delivery boundaries, call 816-285-2802.

In addition to deliveries, there will also be a “Honk N’ Holler” canteen that will deliver at least 100 Thanksgiving meals, snacks and clothing to homeless communities throughout Kansas City. Beyond holiday routes, the canteen also delivers to people who are unhoused on Tuesdays, Wednesdays and Thursdays. The canteen will also make deliveries on Christmas Day. If you’d like to learn more about the canteen and where it will be, call (816) 756-1455.

How to volunteer

If you are interested in signing up to volunteer, you can visit here to sign up for a slot during the Thanksgiving meal or the upcoming Christmas meal.

Donahoo said that the support and the generous spirit of the Kansas City community is really what makes large-scale meals like this possible every year.

“It shows how as a community we all get together to help those that are in need, and that’s the most important part in all of this. There’s an opportunity to help folks and the response to us is always ‘what can we do’,” Donahood said.

Separate from the Salvation Army’s meal, there will also be opportunities to help prepare and deliver Thanksgiving turkey baskets alongside reStart. This Operation Turkey initiative still has a few slots open for volunteers to come help deliver those baskets on Monday, Nov. 21. Delivery shifts will start at reStart’s location at 918 E 9th St. Visit here to sign up or to learn more.

What other free meals and free food events are going on in the metro?

On Saturday, Nov. 19, the Tony Aguirre Community Center will host a Westside Turkey Day, which will be free to the public and open to all ages. The event will run from 11 a.m. to 3 p.m. To learn more and to register for the event call the Tony Aguirre Community Center at 816-513-8530.

The Know Joey Foundation will also host a free Thanksgiving ingredients giveaway in Missouri and Kansas. The Know Joey Foundation is a local nonprofit dedicated to making a positive impact on young men in the community. This will be the organization’s 15th Turkey Tuesday event.

The Missouri free event will be held on Wed, Nov. 23 from 9 a.m. until 1 p.m. at 1622 E. 17th Terrace. You need to register here to reserve a spot. The Kansas event will be on the same day and time at 3211 State Ave. in KCK. You can register for the Kansas Turkey Tuesday event here.

The event is drive-thru only. Families will also need an ID that matches the registration in order to receive their goods, which will include one turkey, canned goods and toiletries and hygiene products.

Third District City Councilman Brandon Ellington will also host a community dinner in his district on Wednesday, Nov. 23 from 4 p.m. to 6 p.m. at the Mohart Center at 3200 Wayne Ave. This event is also free. To reserve a sport, visit here. If you want to learn more, call 816-513-6511.