Kitchens across six Mobile-area churches were buzzing with activity this week as roughly 200 volunteers prepared a free Thanksgiving Day meal for anyone without a place to spend the holiday.
The effort, now in its fifth year, is organized under the name Ransom Cafe and describes itself as “Thanksgiving for the homesick.” Meals will be served from 11 a.m. to 2 p.m. on Thanksgiving Day at all six participating locations. There is no set charge for the meals, though donations of any amount are welcomed.
Organizer Matt Armbruster said the event is meant for anyone who finds themselves without family or a place to go on the holiday, whether that’s a military family stationed away from home, someone experiencing homelessness, or an elderly person without relatives nearby. Volunteers also deliver meals to shut-ins and to workers at local businesses who have to stay on the job through the holiday.
“It’s for anybody who doesn’t have a place for Thanksgiving,” Armbruster said, describing the range of guests the program has served over the years. “This is a bad time of the year sometimes for some people, and we want to love on people and give them hope.”
Unlike a typical soup kitchen setup, Armbruster said Ransom Cafe is designed to feel like a sit-down restaurant experience, with volunteers waiting on guests at their tables rather than guests moving through a serving line.
In the days leading up to Thanksgiving, volunteers packed church kitchens to prepare the meal at a rapid pace, working with dozens of donated hams and a steady rotation of turkeys in the ovens. Organizers said this year’s spread includes 52 turkeys, 30 donated hams, two dozen pans of green beans, two dozen pans of sweet potatoes and two dozen pans of dressing. Last year the event served around 1,000 people, and organizers estimated enough food would be prepared this year to feed around 1,200 guests.
The six participating locations span a wide swath of the Mobile Bay area: First Christian Church on Government Street in Mobile, The Hanger at West Mobile Baptist Church on Airport Boulevard, Christ United Methodist Church on Grelot Road, Trinity Family Church on Victory Avenue, First Baptist Church of Theodore on Bellingrath Road, and Fairhope United Methodist Church on South Section Street.
Organizers said more information about the program, including how to volunteer or request a delivery, is available through the Ransom Cafe website.