Ironton City Welfare Mission gets ready for Thanksgiving dinner

Volunteers at the Ironton City Welfare Mission were working hard breaking up bread for dressing, cutting vegetables and washing dishes Wednesday to make the city’s longest running Thanksgiving dinner a success.

The mission has been around for 70 years and for 65 of them, they have put on a Thanksgiving dinner for those in need.

“Last year, we served 964 meals,” Jeff Cremeans, pastor of the City Mission Church, said. “Right now we have 700 requested meals, but there are more call-ins that come in on Thanksgiving morning and 75 to 100 people who just come in and eat.”

Most of the meals are picked up or delivered to shut-ins, but there is a sit-down meal at the mission at noon.

“They will all get a full meal,” Cremeans said. “Turkey, dressing, mashed potatoes, green beans, cole slaw and pumpkin pie.”

The mission has 40 turkeys totaling more than 900 pounds, 100 loaves of bread for dressing, 150 pounds of cabbage and 100 pumpkin pies for the meal.

“It’s a joy to be able to see the smiles on people’s faces knowing that they will have a good meal,” Cremeans said. “It is a lot of work, but it feels good to do this for them and seeing everyone happy. It is not just the church, but it’s a whole community effort. They are so appreciative”

There will be 50-plus volunteers at the mission today to help with the dinner and more volunteers making meal deliveries. Most of the deliveries are for people in Ironton and Coal Grove, but some go to South Point and Pedro.

“This is where my family has spent Thanksgiving for most of my life,” Cremeans said. “It’s good to be able to give people a reason to thank the Lord for all of his good blessings upon us and to have a good meal to eat on Thanksgiving.”