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By Adam Kress
State Press
ASU football head coach Bruce Snyder and his team don't have a game to play on Thanksgiving, but they will have a tough opponent to tackle -- hunger.
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Brandy Garngost, a dental sophomore, and Greg Dorsett, a computer information systems junior, look for the perfect turkey at Safeway on Broadway and Rural roads on Tuesday. A point to remember: If you are getting a frozen turkey, don't wait until the last minute. A 10-pound turkey takes 24 hours to defrost. |
Along with help from Dan and Marilyn Quayle, Snyder and about 30 members of the football team will be joining forces with the Salvation Army Thursday to serve 2,500 homeless and hungry people at the Holiday Inn Crowne Plaza in Phoenix.
The Salvation Army has organized the event, on First and Adams streets, for the past 20 years. It is the largest congregate Thanksgiving dinner that it hosts in the Valley.
The Salvation Army will also hold smaller Thanksgiving dinners in six other Valley cities, including Tempe.
Jennifer Shimkus, who works in the community relations department of the Salvation Army, said that about 150 turkeys, 400 pounds of vegetables and 500 pounds of potatoes will be served. Coldstone Creamery will also donate pumpkin pie ice cream to give to patrons as they leave dinner.
Snyder, who has helped with the event each of the eight years that he's been at ASU, said it's a great way to feel a sense of accomplishment on Thanksgiving -- opposed to just sitting on the couch and watching football on TV.
"This is a very worth-while experience for us (the football team) and the homeless," Snyder said. "An experience like this makes me very thankful for all I have."
The Salvation Army's Thanksgiving dinner is different from most dinners for the hungry because volunteers will actually serve the patrons, not stand in line and dish out food.
"Serving the patrons at their tables allows more personal contact between volunteers and patrons," Shimkus said. "The patrons are always very grateful for the volunteers' efforts."
Snyder said that he and his players will help seat those who come, serve them food and clean up after dinner.
"It's sad that we have people that need this sort of help," Snyder said. "Hopefully we can create a society that won't need to have a program like this."
The dinner will be held on Thursday from 11:30 a.m. to 1 p.m., but there will be hot coffee available outside the hotel a few hours before dinner.
Reporter Adam Kress can be reached by phone at (480) 965-2292 or by e-mail at jtreered@aol.com.
