Charities prepare to feed the needy

MOBILE, Ala. (WALA) - Charitable agencies on the Gulf Coast are gearing up for their biggest feeding day of the year.  

A local business dropped off a hundred donated turkeys to the Salvation Army on Dauphin Street Wednesday morning.  They're a welcome addition to the agency's annual Thanksgiving Dinner.

Inside, the kitchen didn't look nearly as frantic as you might expect on the day before the charity's biggest annual feast.

"Actually, it's the calm before the storm.  The storm will be tomorrow when we open up the doors at 11 o'clock,"  Cecil Morris said.

Head Chef Cecil Morris came to Salvation Army 19 years ago.  He wasn't there to work.  He needed help.

"They saved my life. The Salvation Army definitely saved my life. Me participating in the program, they shot me in a new direction, because the direction that I was going in, the path that I was traveling on was a doomed direction, and it's a lot brighter on this side," he said.

Now, Morris is able to return the favor.  He says the annual meal is not just about the food.

"We're on a mission here. Our mission to is save one life at a time. That's the Salvation Army mission," Morris said.

Just a few miles away, the Waterfront Rescue Mission at 206 State Street is also feeding and saving souls. Brother Sam Bradley says it's a calling the agencies couldn't accomplish without the a lot of help from the community.  

"This has been a better year for us in donations from last year.  I don't know what the reason is behind it, but we are getting a lot more cooperation from the donors as far as bringing in food and what not to serve a Thanksgiving meal, so we thank them so much," Bradley said.

Like the Thanksgiving meal, everything the mission does is dependent on donations. Brother Sam said most of the donations for the entire year come in during the months of November and December.

The Wings of Life Ministry at 800 St. Louis is also hosting a two-day Thanksgiving feast, both Thursday and Friday.  And that should leave many in the community thankful.

The Waterfront Rescue Mission also has two locations in Florida. 

Thanksgiving meals will be served at the Pensacola Men's Mission at 348 West Herman, and the Fort Walton Beach Mission at 112 Hollywood Blvd.