How the army's turkey gets on their Thanksgiving table

PORT JERVIS, N.Y. — Getting the Thanksgiving Dinner to the Salvation Army table each year is a real community event, requiring cooperation between a local business, a school, and the Salvation Army itself. It also involves extending community spirit across state line from Matamoras, to neighboring Port Jervis, New York. The Salvation Army Thanksgiving Dinner has been served for 18 years in collaboration with the Delaware Valley High School Food preparation course. It started with the district Superintendent, Dr. Candis Finan 18 years ago, said Certified Teacher Chef Ray Wehner who’s in charge of the cooking of the turkeys at the school. Sharon Eagle, social ministries director who runs the daily meal program and soup kitchen at the Port Jervis Salvation Army has been involved since she became a full time member some 12 years ago. She in turn started to buy their meat from Ken Peereboom of the Prime Time Meats in Milford and he has been supplying the Thanksgiving turkeys at cut-rate prices for six years. Eagle, who holds a science degree from East Stroudsburg, said she loves helping people. “You definitely develop a bond with the regulars,” she added. “I get about 25 regulars each day,” smiled Eagle in the basement dining room placed in the Church building in Port Jervis. “Many of them have been coming for years.” “I choose to do this over teaching because basically it’s more rewarding,” said Eagle. She likes interacting with people in the community. “It’s very gratifying to have people say ‘thank you Sharon’ after a meal.” Wehner said, “Cooking the turkeys is done in batches, usually involving 4 students at a time. Some are involved in the seasoning, others are busy baking or making stock.” The school cooks, carves and separates the cooked turkeys into white and dark meat, ready to eat, and Eagle does the rest of the cooking on the premises. She prepares the feast with potatoes, vegetables, and pumpkin pie. Added her helper Marcella Nickerson, “They come in hungry and leave with a smile. It’s great!” The group of students who help with the serving of the dinner has been mostly the same for years. “It’s a time when you pull together to help community,” said Nickerson.