The South Side Mission delivers nearly 4,000 meals in the Peoria area on Thanksgiving and serves another 200 or so for a sit-down feast at its facility at 1127 S. Laramie St. in Peoria. The Mission is in need of volunteers to help deliver the holiday meals this year. (Photo courtesy of the South Side Mission)

Making pumpkin pie for Thanksgiving is not unusual, but making 500 in a day could raise some eyebrows.

That’s what Deb Wolf of Peoria and other volunteers will be doing at the South Side Mission the Monday before Thanksgiving as part of the preparation for  providing nearly 4,000 meals for delivery and another 200 for a sit-down holiday feast.

“I think people don’t realize how much they will get out of (volunteering),” Wolf said. “They think they’re just going to donate their time or their money, but it’s so much more than that. It’s an opportunity to give back and hopefully encourage people who, a lot of times, are the lost and the forgotten.”

The nonprofit South Side Mission is seeking volunteer delivery drivers and monetary donations to help with its annual free Thanksgiving and Christmas meals for anyone who can use nourishment and human interaction.

“We’ve been doing the holiday meals as we do them now for 15 years. But I was talking to a long-time volunteer last year who said it’s actually been going on at least 40 or 41 years,” said Chef Chris Franzoni, who oversees the Mission’s daily soup kitchen, culinary arts program and the holiday meals. “Back then a handful of people started doing meals and delivering them and taking care of people, so it’s kind of a traditional thing that we’re trying to carry on.”

Originally, the Mission served hot meals to go but later changed to ready-to-eat cold meals that  just need to be heated. “Fifteen years ago, when I first started here, we did about 1,200 meals,” Franzoni said. “Now we’ll deliver close to 4,000 meals. Then we break down the gym and set it up for a nice sit-down Thanksgiving dinner that usually 150 to 200 people come in to eat.”

The Mission primarily serves residents of the 61605 zip code on Peoria’s south side, which is one of the poorest zip codes in the country, according to the Rev. Craig Williams, the group’s executive director. However, the holiday meals are open to anyone in the Peoria area.

“There are no requirements to qualify for a meal. If you call, we’ll take care of you,” Franzoni said. Anyone requesting that a holiday meal be delivered should call the Mission by the Tuesday before Thanksgiving. No reservations are needed for the walk-in meal, which will begin about 12 p.m. on Thanksgiving.

About 800 volunteers work for more than a week on the project, providing more than 6,000 hours of time, said Development Director Kip Perhay.

In addition to the ingredients for the pies, putting together the traditional holiday feast also requires 600 pounds of turkey, 450 pounds of cranberries, 30 cases of green beans, 1,000 pounds of mashed potatoes, 15 cases of cornbread stuffing mix, four cases of aluminum roasting pans and 4,000 salt and pepper packets.

Volunteers fill containers of food for a turkey feast that gets delivered to nearly 4,000 people in the Peoria area on Thanksgiving. About 800 volunteers help with the meal but more are needed to help deliver meals on Thanksgiving and Christmas. (Photo courtesy of the South Side Mission)

At Christmas the Mission serves and delivers ham, mashed potatoes, sweet potatoes, green beans and pumpkin pie.

While the nourishment of the food is important, Williams said the social interaction between Mission staff or volunteers and the recipients is equally significant.

“Human beings are wired for relationships, and we’re seeing that now more and more through different studies,” he said. “I’ve delivered meals, as well as hung out with people at different times, and most just love the fact that you showed up and talked with them and prayed with them.

“But it’s different strokes, too. One guy talked to me for about five to eight minutes. He didn’t let me come in, but we stood at the door and talked and we had a great conversation. A lot of people do ask you to come in and sit down,” Williams added.

Franzoni noted that many of the volunteers who help with the meal or make the deliveries bring their children. “It teaches them about serving others and just about giving back to the community,” he said. “Because a lot of us take our blessings for granted.”

The chef’s own kids, now grown at 21, 26 and 28, have been helping with the meal since they were kids and now bring their own children to help.

“You’ll see the children of volunteers taking over the jobs that their parents and grandparents have done. It’s a really cool experience,” Franzoni added. “We have groups

of volunteers that do it year after year, and they have kind of taken ownership of it. We equip them with what they need, and they take the ball and run with it.”

Volunteers at the South Side Mission cut pumpkin pies for a previous Thanksgiving meal. The Mission provides free turkey dinners for delivery in the Peoria area or for a sit-down meal at Thanksgiving and Christmas. (Photo courtesy of the South Side Mission)

Franzoni said the most challenging part of making all the meals is having to inventory and store all the food, a task made easier this year by recent renovations. “Through donations, we have a new walk-in freezer and walk-in cooler, which makes it a little bit easier for us,” he said.

The South Side Mission also operates a five-day-a-week soup kitchen that serves an average of 25 people a day.

Anyone who could use a meal this Thanksgiving can call the South Side Mission at 309-676-4604 to arrange delivery or just come to the Mission at 1127 S. Laramie St. in Peoria at 12 p.m. on Thanksgiving day for a sit-down meal.

Anyone who’d like to volunteer to deliver meals on Thanksgiving or Christmas can call and ask for the volunteer coordinator or send an email to volunteer@southsidemission.org.

“You get so much out of volunteering there if you would just be willing to try it,” Deb Wolf said. “I know some people might be scared if they’ve never been exposed to that kind of environment, so get a friend and go together.”

With an annual budget of $4 million, the Mission is supported completely by donations and receives no government or United Way funding. For more information or to donate, visit the website at www.southsidemission.org.