Addressing an inconvenient truth of being alone at Thanksgiving
Staff writer
When Krystal Sherrill and Ashley Davis decided two years ago to cook up turkey and the fixings to serve a Thanksgiving meal at Ampride in Hillsboro, they didn’t know what they were in for.
“We donated our turkeys and cooked it up and did it, and it was gone in 30 minutes,” Sherrill said.
The women had Tabor College students with nowhere else to go in mind, but others were welcome as well.
During those 30 minutes, the women didn’t stop running back and forth serving meals.
“We weren’t ready,” Sherrill said.
Undaunted, they did it again last year, feeding 70 people with more food and more help.
This year, the two had more food to prepare, and were ready to throw open the doors for anyone who wanted to come.
The women served 90 meals Thursday, made from six turkeys, lots of stuffing, mashed potatoes and gravy, cranberry sauce, corn, and 12 pumpkin pies.
Sherill said if someone didn’t have a place to go for Thanksgiving, she wanted them to come.
“If it was just me, I wouldn’t cook up a big holiday meal,” Sherill said. “Not even if it was me and one other person.”
Serving began 15 minutes early because the store was crowded with people awaiting meals.
The last meal was served at 1 p.m.
“We’ve heard that the meal was really good,” Sherill said Friday. “It was a little stressful.”
Some customers bought soft drinks or fuel and dropped donations into a jar to help defray the cost of next year’s meal.
“People are happy to donate,” Sherrill said.
Without donations, they couldn’t offer the meal, she said.
Donations, both cash and supplies, come from appreciative diners and customers who know about the meal.
“People are happy to donate,” Sherrill said. “We are forever grateful to people who donate because we love doing it. I got invited to my family in Wichita, and I’m staying here and doing this.”