Serving up Tradition this Thanksgiving

Thanksgiving embodies tradition, spending time with family and loved ones — and that’s no different at The Salvation Army Centre of Hope in Halifax. Each year, Chef Harold serves up a Thanksgiving feast for the guests at the men’s shelter, creating community, compassion and hope during the holiday. 

Along with his dedicated team in the kitchen, Chef Harold is preparing to serve the feast once again.

“We will serve baked ham, turkey with all the trimmings,” Chef Harold explains. “With cheesecake and pumpkin pie for dessert.”

This Thanksgiving will have the same full course menu, but with the new COVID-19 measures in place to ensure the safety of the guests. While the tradition may continue, the pandemic has brought some challenges for this year’s feast. 

“We won’t be having any volunteer servers on-site this year due to the pandemic, but we’ve made provisions,” says Chef Harold. “We will have a different set up in the dining hall and will provide three separate settings.” 

The team at The Salvation Army’s Centre of Hope often receive great feedback from guests and are dedicated to making meals that guests enjoy. Recently, Harold learned that one elderly gentleman has a birthday coming up and asked what he would like to have for dinner. The gentleman requested macaroni and cheese, so that’s what Chef Harold made.

“Macaroni and cheese it is then,” Harold says. The gentleman’s response was “there’s no need to go hungry here”. 

The Salvation Army is dedicated to eliminating hunger in the Maritimes. Learn more about our community family services in your community.