MEDFORD, Ore.– Turkey day is coming up! To make sure no one goes without a turkey and stuffing dinner, organizations across the valley are hosting free community dinners. One of those is a mom-and-pop shop.
Cafe Dejeuner is busy. The restaurant has been serving up free thanksgiving meals for 10 years now. It’s a lot of work, but when you’re giving back to the community, it makes it that much more rewarding.
It’s a bit of a process when your plan is to feed 250 people for free but the restaurant doesn’t see it that way.
“We’re all looking forward to it. You’re here today. We’re all smiling, getting ready,” said Thereasa Sproul, manager at Cafe Dejeuner.
Sproul says the idea to host a community Thanksgiving came to her 10 years ago.
“I had a dream, it’s the truth,” she said with a laugh. “I dreamed that we did a free Thanksgiving dinner and I brought it to the owner and he said yes and we just went for it.”
With over 160 pounds of turkey, bags of spuds and gallons of gravy, this has become a way to give back. But also a way to give forward.
“The sentiment is being passed at different levels where people are coming and getting the food and then they’re caring for even more people,” said Sproul.
She says this time of year is about giving and in this kitchen, that spirit is alive and well with an open seat at the table. And if there’s one thing you should try – it’s the stuffing. Sproul says it’s her favorite dish.
“It’s something I only get once a year,” she said.
Cafe Dejeneur is located at 1108 East Main Street. Volunteers will be serving up Thanksgiving dinner from 11 a.m. to 3 p.m. Thursday. To find out about other locations across the valley, NBC% News has more locations listed on our website or here.
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