Northeast News

November 25, 2016

KANSAS CITY, Missouri – This Thanksgiving, some in the community went above and beyond to ensure that as many Kansas Citians as possible were able to enjoy a traditional holiday meal.

At Children’s Memorial Lutheran Church (5001 Independence Ave.) in the Historic Northeast, Pastor Ann Rundquist and other volunteers prepared a Thanksgiving dinner to roughly 200 needy individuals in the community. Volunteers prepared 20 turkeys to go with stuffing, mashed potatoes, gravy, green bean casserole, and a variety of holiday desserts for the Thanksgiving meal.

According to Rundquist, Children’s Memorial Lutheran has been hosting Thanksgiving meals at the church for more than a decade. She discussed the importance of the annual tradition in an interview with Northeast News publisher Michael Bushnell on Thanksgiving Day.

Elsewhere, volunteers with the organization I Would Give Anything – which focuses on helping the homeless and others in need across Kansas City – rented out the Monarch Room at 1701 McGee (at a greatly reduced rate) in order to provide a free Thanksgiving dinner for the homeless and others in need of a nice meal. Organization co-founder Rod DeMoss said that he first got involved in this kind of community service about five years back, when he and his family cooked up 375 pounds of meat for the needy in Kansas City.

“We took it down to City Union Mission, and they distributed it to all three of their shelters,” said DeMoss. “We just got hooked from then on.”

On Thanksgiving Day 2016, I Would Give Anything Aimed to proved a full dinner to as many as 700 individuals in need. For DeMoss and the rest of the volunteers, the event was all about giving the homeless in the city a chance to enjoy a Thanksgiving dinner in style.

“We wanted to do it a little different: we actually have a three-course meal,” said DeMoss. “We give them a salad, a full meal, and then dessert. We’ve got live music playing, and we’re just going down and (visiting) with them. This whole day is about them.”

Visit iwouldgiveanything.org for more information about this organization.

In addition, volunteers from Canaan Hill Church of the Nazarene in Lawson, Missouri made a special trip to the Northeast on Thanksgiving, handing out free meals to the homeless near the intersection of 7th and Highland. Thanks to all of the volunteers and organizations that helped make Thanksgiving 2016 a special time for all the citizens of Kansas City.