SULLIVAN, Ind. (WTWO/WAWV)– On Wednesday, Edward McBride didn’t know what he was going to do for Thanksgiving.
With his children out of town and unable to make the trip, the Linton resident considered just staying at home for the day– until a friend told him about a Sullivan tradition.
“I was having breakfast [Wednesday] in Linton with a friend, and he said, ‘Where are you going for Thanksgiving?’ And I said I got nowhere to go,” McBride said. “He told me, ‘Nora, my friend at Joe’s Italian Foods in Sullivan, is having Thanksgiving dinner.’ You got to go see her.”
McBride– along with hundreds of others– packed into the restaurant Thursday to take part in their annual holiday tradition of feeding as many residents as possible on the holiday.
Owner Nora Leone said it’s something that started over 20 years ago, and has continued to grow.
“For the past 20 years, we have been hosting Sullivan County family thanksgiving. We prepare between 600-800 meals each year,” she said. “I kind of have it down to a science.”
Feeding hundreds wouldn’t be possible without lots of volunteers and preparation. Leone said they cook 40 turkeys and 40 hams to accommodate all the requests.
“We start our process on Monday. We will come in around 7:30 or 8:00 in the morning because I operate a restaurant, I have to do it while the business is not operating,” she said. “Thankfully, I’m able to fit 24 turkeys in the oven at a time, so we can cook the turkeys and have them out by 10:00. Next day we do the ham and the next day we do the stuffing.”
McBride had never taken part in the event– but was happy he made the trip on Thursday.
“The food was excellent, and Nora was fantastic. She met me at the door when I came in, I said, ‘Can I come in and sit down?’ She said absolutely, and she took me over to the dining area here and they brought me a plate,” he said.
Leone said her favorite part of the event is spending time with volunteers– many of whom have participated for years– and giving back to the community.
“A lot of our volunteers are the same volunteers who come each year, so I feel like that’s probably part of my Thanksgiving tradition to spend it with them. It’s exciting, it’s nice to give back,” she said.
For McBride, he enjoyed watching so many people come together for a good cause.
“People helping people. This community, they need help,” he said. “There’s a lot of people needing help being fed.”
The restaurant also donated meals to a veterans shelter in Hutsonville, Illinois.
