Souls Harbour hosts first Thanksgiving meal in new building

The smell of roasted turkey, the sound of laughter and a sense of community filled Souls Harbour Rescue Mission on Friday as the non-profit held its annual Thanksgiving feast.

Deana Struble, marketing manager for Souls Harbour, said it’s a meal that’s important for all of Regina.

“People really get involved by financially donating, by donating food, by volunteering,” she said. “It brings everyone together, which is a beautiful thing for people in need, and for people who have and can give back.”

This year, Struble said dozens of volunteers helped prepare hundreds of pounds of donated garden vegetables and 24 turkeys to feed upwards of 600 people in need.

And while many come for the free food, she noted a lot of people also attend the lunch to reunite with old friends.

“People who come for our meals come and see people who they haven’t seen in a while, and our volunteers get to know our clients; it becomes a big family event,” she said.

Struble said this meal symbolizes to those in need that somebody cares about them.

“A lot of people go through certain times in their life when they don’t feel that (they have) a community behind them, so (at the feast) people just know they matter,” she explained.

This is the first year Souls Harbour has hosted its Thanksgiving meal in its new Gerri Carroll Hope Centre on Athol Street.