Salvation Army and Toronto Argonauts Partner to Bring Joy on Thanksgiving
Every year, for almost three decades, The Salvation Army’s Toronto Harbour Light has hosted a Thanksgiving dinner for its residents and neighbours in the community, ensuring everyone has a meal during this special holiday.
“This will be the 28th year we host a Thanksgiving dinner,” says Marino Mercante, events coordinator at Harbour Light. “This year the event will be on Oct. 12 from 1-3 p.m. We are serving 300 community members, which includes 150 of our in-house clients.”
Other attendees are generally residents of nearby shelters and people connected with The Salvation Army.
“We are serving 300 community members, which includes 150 of our in-house clients.”
Due to its long tradition, the Army’s Thanksgiving dinner is an event that people look forward to.
“We don’t have to advertise it much. I visit local shelters, churches and small businesses in the area to distribute posters. But usually, the community expects the event to happen every year,” Marino adds. “The morning of the dinner, we usually have people lined up outside our doors.”
Since the very first Thanksgiving dinner, the Toronto Argonauts from the Canadian Football League (CFL) have been by the Salvation Army’s side. Players volunteer every year, serving meals, chatting with guests and contributing with donations.
“The Argonauts not only come and serve food, but they also donate all the turkeys we prepare,” Marino explains. “They also provide us with merch for goodie bags.”
Their participation brings excitement to the guests.
“We set up an autograph table. They also take pictures and interact with everyone the whole time they are there,” Marino shares.
For an event of this scale, preparation takes months. First, they have to coordinate dates, create tickets, posters and gather additional volunteers. A week before, the turkeys are prepared. It takes a team effort to make this event possible.
Although the Argonauts presence has become a familiar sight, The Salvation Army tries to make the event even more special each time around.
“It’s nice to see different individuals of all ages and backgrounds come together.”
“We are always adding new decorations and goodie bags for people to take with them to enhance their experience,,” Marino says.
As the coordinator of this event for the past few years, Marino sees it as an opportunity to bring people together.
“It’s nice to see different individuals of all ages and backgrounds come together. They get to interact with people they normally wouldn’t meet and share food, laughter and conversation.
“For those who aren’t fortunate enough to have their own Thanksgiving experience, it’s a great feeling for us to be able to provide that for them,” Marino shares.
By Juan Romero
