Owatonna organizers brace for extra need during community Thanksgiving meal

For decades, Owatonna community members have come together to put on community Thanksgiving and Christmas Day meals.

The goal has always been simple: to make sure no one goes hungry or without company during the holidays.

“It's a way to make sure no one is alone on Thanksgiving or Christmas, and they get a good, home-cooked meal,” Dean Schuette, one of the organizers of the event, said last year.

Over the years, the event has expanded. Once held at the Knights of Columbus, the space became too small after about 10 years and moved to the Owatonna VFW.

This year, in the wake of a federal government shutdown that ended just days ago, Schuette said organizers are preparing to have more of a crowd than in years past.

“We are gonna probably up our numbers a little bit this year, because we think with the whole government shutdown and… the SNAP benefits and stuff being cut back for a while…we think we may have extra need,” Schuette said.

The meals come with all the traditional fixings of a Thanksgiving meal, and are served in person between 11 a.m. and 1 p.m., with a free-will offering welcomed.

In addition to those who can make it in person, there is also an option to have the meals delivered, with the ordering phone line open at 7 a.m. Order by calling 507-451-1001.

For Thanksgiving, Schuette said it's typical to have 500 or more meals delivered, with another 500 or meals served in person.

This year, Schuette said they plan on serving upwards of 100 extra meals for Thanksgiving and will re-assess for Christmas, which usually draws a smaller crowd.

But with no RSVPs, Schuette said, it is hard to say how many extra people will show up.

“With what you're hearing on the news, there's a pretty good chance that we could have a little extra, so we're kind of targeting maybe a 10% increase over what we normally have,” Schuette said.