ACORN dinner a Thanksgiving meal for all

St. Mary’s to host annual holiday event

By Stephanie Nelson (Contact) | Andalusia Star-News

Published Thursday, November 19, 2009

Those in need of a home-cooked Thanksgiving meal need not look any further than St. Mary’s Episcopal Church this Thursday.

ACORN — which stands for “Assorted Christians and Other Religious Nuts,” and shouldn’t be confused with the non-partisan social justice organization— will host a free Thanksgiving dinner for Andalusia residents from 11 a.m. until 1 p.m. Each year, the lunch site is rotated among area churches. This year’s location is St. Mary’s.

Jan Morris, event coordinator, said the menu consists of all the traditional Thanksgiving fare, complete with dessert and a drink.

“We have two options — dine in or delivery,” Morris said. “We just ask that those wishing for their meal to be delivered call before the day of the dinner. We need a telephone number and an address, and someone will bring a lunch that day.

“For those who want to dine in, just show up,” she said. “Last year, more than 200 people participated — the bulk of which were home delivery. Just a handful came in to eat. Of course for those coming in, we’d love to know, but we’re never going to turn anyone away.”

Morris said that as people register, volunteers would work to map out a quick delivery route to ensure a hot meal.

“We are all so thankful for the things that we have and as Christians it’s our duty to share and that’s what this day is all about,” she said. “It’s amazing to me that we have so many people willing to give up their Thanksgiving and Christmas to help with this ministry.

“And we couldn’t do any of this without the generous support of our community who gave cash, supplies and food.

“We want to make sure that everyone has a hot meal on the holiday, and that no one goes without,” she said.

To register for the ACORN dinner, call 222-2487.