Kerrville’s Salvation Army nearly canceled their Thanksgiving meal after losing their chef. The Odessa Chuck Wagon Gang saved the day.
KERRVILLE, Texas — A community Thanksgiving dinner that has helped feed Kerrville families for nearly two decades almost didn’t happen this year after the July 4 flooding displaced the local Salvation Army’s head chef.
The Salvation Army in Kerrville has long hosted a free Thanksgiving meal at the Ray and Joan Kroc Corps Community Center. But when catastrophic flooding hit Kerr County in July, it forced many families from their homes — including the chef who normally cooks and directs the holiday meal.
“We’ve just been without anybody in our kitchen, so we had to scrabble this year to find out what Thanksgiving is going to look like,” Salvation Army Director Molly Putnam said.
Putnam needed a backup plan.
Fortunately, the Odessa Chuck Wagon Gang, a nonprofit made up of Odessa businessmen, had already contacted the Salvation Army months earlier and offered assistance. She called the nonprofit a month ago and took them up on their offer.
“They were thrilled and came to the rescue for us,” Putnam said.
Chuck Wagon Gang Feed Boss Jason Harrington organized a six person crew and they arrived in Kerrville the day before Thanksgiving.
“This community had been through so much so we sat down and reached out to everyone and figured out what we could do,” Volunteer Matt Wood said. “We pulled in yesterday at 5 p.m. with our 18-wheeler to a very supportive community. The people of Kerr county are incredible. This became our thanksgiving.”
The crew started cooking as early as 2 a.m. on Thanksgiving morning and cooked enough for 1300 people. They then slipped away to get some sleep as an army of volunteers came in to serve the community.
The volunteers served plates and shared conversations with neighbors who have been through months of stress and uncertainty. It was appreciated.
“It’s so fun to come to the Kroc Center and serve people in the community and also enjoy sharing stories,” Peggy Humm said.
For many, just having a normal Thanksgiving — with normal Thanksgiving table talk — was its own kind of relief. Volunteer Dean Jones talked to community members for more than an hour.
“I talked to Rex. We talked about football, how much he likes football, and Travis Kelce and Taylor Swift,” Jones said. “It was nice just talking to someone and just making that meaningful connection on Thanksgiving.”
After five difficult months of recovery, volunteers hope that having the community gather over a hot meal can make them feel like some normalcy is returning.
“I think the community is ready to take a little bit of a break today, because it’s so present,” Miriam Muniz Fennell said. “I think that’s a sign of healing. We still have a lot of healing to do in this community.”