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JOHNSON CITY, Tenn. (WJHL) – For almost 50 years, Haven of Mercy Ministries in Johnson City has been providing a Thanksgiving meal for those in need around the community.
Just days before the holiday, the ministry has started to prepare to serve thousands of people.
“It’s just a big celebration,” said Kitchen Manager Thomas Harper. “This year, we are expecting a big crowd.”
Harper is preparing for his first Thanksgiving meal with the ministry. He said they started the preparation work for the meal well ahead of Thursday.
“We started last week with getting all of the hams and the turkeys and put them in storage where they belong,” Harper said. “And then begin this week, we started taking them out, getting them all getting prepared.”
The ministry collected a large amount of food in order to feed everyone who walks through its doors.
“100 turkeys, 50 hams,” said Harper. “So many sides, just pounds and pounds of food.”
Grant Rockley, pastor and CEO of Haven of Mercy, said the Thanksgiving meal is more than just a meal.
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“This event to us is a celebration of happy, joy,” said Rockley. “We get to see a lot of smiles and we get to love on a lot of folks.”
For Harper, being a part of something like this is about more than himself.
“It’s not even about me,” Harper said. “If it was about me, I’d mess it up. I do it for the glory of God.”
Rockley said he hopes this meal will combat many of the bad things that have happened over the year.
“We’ve seen a tremendous amount of tragedy this year,” Rockley said, “And it will be good to see it turn around on Thanksgiving Day.”
The meal will begin at 11:30 am on Thanksgiving Day. Rockley said the meal is open to everyone, whether they are in need, or simply don’t want to cook.
During the meal, there will also be raffles with monetary prizes.
