‘Everybody deserves a Thanksgiving meal’: SOYA feeds the hungry

More than a dozen volunteers with Save Our Young Adults (SOYA) were hard at work on Saturday as they served up Thanksgiving meals for the less fortunate.

The non-profit, which has long been dedicated to helping victims and their families who live with substance use disorder, served upwards of 300 free meals with all the turkey and trimmings at their Gore Street location.

“Everybody deserves a Thanksgiving meal,” SOYA president Connie Raynor-Elliott says.

People were lined up at their door nearly two hours before opening according to Raynor-Elliott, which she explains is a strong indicator of the growing demand for their services in Sault Ste. Marie.

“We’ve basically doubled since last year,” she told SooToday. “We may end up running out, but even if they get peanut butter and jam sandwiches, they’ll be appreciative. They’re always appreciative.”

The team says the preparation going into Saturday’s meal handout was incredibly extensive.

Meal preparation included eight turkeys, eight hams, 300 pounds of potatoes, 150 pounds of turnips, an assortment of vegetables, and 300 desserts.

Raynor-Elliott noted a number of local organizations, businesses, and generous citizens stepped up in a big way to help SOYA provide the meals, including Harvest Algoma, Grocer 4 Good, Water Tower Inn, and Metro (Northern Ave.)

“We’re so grateful for them because we wouldn’t be able to do it without them,” she says. “A lot of our new Canadians are vegetarian, so we were able to cater to them as well. We’re learning as we go on.”

Looking ahead to the colder months, SOYA’s president says they’re in need of winter donations like mitts, hats, coats, blankets, and other items to ensure their clientele stays warm.

“We donated 1,200 pairs of mitts last year,” she says. “We need all the help we can get.”