Local residents invited to share Thanksgiving community meals

Area residents are invited to celebrate Thanksgiving by sharing any of four community Thanksgiving dinners to be served in Tecumseh, Isabella and Theodosia. 

Clear Springs Church 

Clear Springs Church in Tecumseh will host a community Thanksgiving dinner after its regular 11 a.m. Sunday, Nov. 22, worship service. Everyone is invited. The church is located at PP Highway and County Road 318 near Dawt.  

Miss Mary’s Family Diner in Theodosia 

A free Thanksgiving dinner will be served Thanksgiving Day at Miss Mary’s Family Diner next to Cash Saver Pantry on Highway 160 in Theodosia. Diner owner Mary White is hosting the free Thanksgiving dinner for the second time after serving about 100 guests at the 2019 Thanksgiving meal that she said God told her to offer. 

The menu will include turkeys and hams prepared in different ways and “all the veggies and all the desserts” associated with a traditional Thanks-giving meal, White said. Last year she made 19 pies for the community dinner, and this year she plans to do at least that many again.

There’s no cost or obligation for those who come for the meal. “Last year, the Lord told me to put on a dinner. I said, “But, Lord, where am I going to come up with the money?’ He said, ‘I’ll provide,’ and he did. People were good to donate a turkey or a ham or other things. Some brought desserts. I appreciate that,” White said, adding that she felt God telling her to serve another dinner this year.

Dinner will be served beginning at 12:30 p.m. on Nov. 26 and will continue until “all the food is gone,” she said. Last year diners came and went throughout the afternoon.

For more information, call White at 417-989-9244, or call the diner at 273-4159. 

Isabella VFW

VFW Post #5366 at Highways 160 and HH in Isabella, with help from the AmVets chapter, will serve its annual free community dinner on Thanks-giving Day. This year’s dinner will observe covid-19 precautions by asking diners to call 273-5008 to make timed reservations so that  the number of people inside the building at one time is controlled. Reservations begin at 11 a.m. Another community meal will be served at the VFW on Christmas Day.

Facility manager Ruby Winslow said everyone is invited – veterans and non-veterans alike. Last year the VFW served over 100 people on Thanks-giving Day. Meals can also be delivered to nearby residents who are unable to attend, or meals can be prepared for pickup.

Donations of cash and food are needed and welcome. Winslow said the VFW greatly appreciates those who are able to cook an extra dish – salads, sides and desserts – and deliver it to the facility the day before the holiday – and those who can donate a turkey or ham three days beforehand to be cooked at the VFW.

Those planning to donate food are asked to call so the VFW staff knows what’s coming. Call Winslow at 273-5008 or 989-1971 for more information or to make reservations or arrange for home delivery or pickup. To send a tax-deductible cash donation, make checks payable to Isabella VFW Post 5366 and mail to P.O. Box 323, Isabella, MO 65676.

Hungry Bear Cafe

Hungry Bear Cafe at the Treasure Gallery in Theodosia will hold a free Thanksgiving dinner from 11 a.m. to 2 p.m. Thanksgiving Day.

Carry-outs will be available and tables will be spaced apart to accommodate social distancing.