Salvation Army gives out 800 turkey dinners for Thanksgiving

EL PASO, Texas (KVIA) -- The Salvation Army here in El Paso gave out over 800 turkey dinners to families today.

The organization has been giving out turkey dinners for years, but began this format during the pandemic. They prepare meals and give them out to families who come up in their cars or walk up to the front door.

Joanna Estrada, the director of development for the Salvation Army, said it's exciting to see the amount of volunteers that showed up.

"Every year we are growing and we're seeing more people participate," said Estrada. "There are so many different things that we're doing, and it's cool that people can see that, and they want to join in, and they want to bring their kids and make it a family tradition."

ABC-7 also spoke to a volunteer at the event. Geneva Vanmatre has been volunteering during Thanksgiving at the Salvation Army for the past few years. She said that this was the most people she's seen at the event.

"It's tough to see that there's so many people in need, but it's good to see all the volunteers we have. This is a lot of people who have given up their Thanksgiving afternoon to to come and make it better for the rest of our community."

Estrada added that they always need help throughout the year. Their next big opportunity to volunteer is the Red Kettle campaign. You can reach out to the Salvation Army through their website, or you can call the main office at 915-544-9811.