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Anchorage Community Helps Put Thanksgiving Dinner on Families' Tables

November 23, 2011|By Christine Kim | Channel 2 News

ANCHORAGE, Alaska — When you think about a warm thanksgiving meal, the staff members at West High School have it all covered. They gathered all the makings of a holiday feast, Wednesday afternoon, but they’re not for the staff. They’re for students and their families who are facing some tough economic times.

“It wasn't very hard to sell turkeys this year, said nurse Bonnie Jones. “I had a long list of names that I could have continued to go through, but we started out with families that needed help the most. A lot of the families are living in hotels and motels. These are fully cooked meals so they don’t need a kitchen to enjoy them and so they are able to cut them up and put them into a microwave.”

For two decades, the West High staff has been delivering fully cooked meals to families in need through donations by alumni and the school's PTSA. This year, 18 families, will have a full stomachs, including the Drury family, who will return to their room to see a special delivery by the school's own principal. 

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And while some Alaskans are receiving a delivered meal, others, were served a special dinner at the Fairview Recreation Center as the Anchorage Elks served the families in tuxedos. While Kids Kitchen serves meals to children during the week, Wednesday, families, like the Roots, got to enjoy all the trimmings, together.

“We come here most evenings afterschool. [The kids] come and they get something to eat because you only know, you only know you have so much for a budget sometimes,” said Alice Root, who brought her family for the meal. “It doesn’t go that far. You buy food or do you pay the rent and the heat? Sometimes, it's a tough choice, so we're very, very appreciative for the people here.”

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