SUDBURY – Volunteers at the Elgin Street Mission in Sudbury are busy ensuring everyone has a warm Thanksgiving Monday meal to look forward to.
"All of our holidays are kind of really special. So Thanksgiving now, we'll have 20 odd turkeys cooked. We'll have mashed potatoes and all kinds of veggies, and we'll have special desserts and everything else," said Gary Newbury, Elgin Street Mission.
Newbury was a founder of the Elgin Street Mission 30 years ago.
During Thanksgiving weekend, Newbury and his wife Christine will be leading the charge for the fest.
He says he doesn't see the time commitment as a sacrifice.
"It's more of a gift than a sacrifice. Such a joy and when they come up and say 'thank you', I just want to say thank you to the volunteers that comes and gives us all of their time," he explained.
The team is expecting to feed more than 200 people Monday night.
Helping prepare this year's feast is high school student Eva White, who is volunteering as part of a co-op program.
"It honestly makes me feel very great because not only do I get something from it with everybody here and having a relationship with them, but then we give back and make other people just as happy," said White.
The Elgin Street Mission is open for two meals every day, 365 days a year.
Organizers say they would not be able to complete their mission of giving back without the help of their volunteers.
"I would hope that a lot of people would see this and want to come out and volunteer. We really need volunteers. It is one of probably the hardest things to keep filling is volunteers," said Newbury.
Preparations will be taking place until Monday when brunch and dinner will be served.
The mission will also be celebrating 30 years in the community with an auction and gala on November 9.
