Every year since the mid-1980s, the members of Pioneers Inc. have served a Thanksgiving Day meal at no charge to community members who otherwise might not have gotten their turkey and dressing on the holiday.
The tradition continues this year as the men’s service organization plans to offer its largest Thanksgiving spread ever with enough food for 900 people.
“This is one of the most important things we do to serve the community,” said William Brown, who chairs the holiday meal project.
About 740 people received a Thanksgiving meal from Pioneers in 2024, but the need appears to be greater this year with financial pressures resulting from the federal government shutdown, the disruption of Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program benefits, and the rising cost of groceries.
The packaged to-go meal will be served in a drive-thru operation from 10 a.m. to noon at the Pioneers Memorial Complex, 904 N. Main St.
The invitation is extended to anyone in need of a meal, including those who are alone and not able or inclined to cook a traditional Thanksgiving meal for just one or two people, said Brown.
The meal will include turkey, dressing, green beans, corn, cranberry sauce and a roll.
The Pioneers are able to serve a crowd because the organization has a commercial-size kitchen and raises money for community outreach with revenue from a catering business.
The preparation will start the day before Thanksgiving, said Brown, to ensure everything is ready to serve by 10 a.m. The feast will come together with several dozen turkeys that have to be roasted and deboned while the rest of the menu is prepared.
Close to 30 men who are members of Pioneers work in the kitchen and other areas to get the meals out the door and into the drive-thru service. Once they start serving, things flow quickly, said Brown.
The idea to serve a meal on Thanksgiving Day started in 1984 with then-president Walton Smith, who was a well-known stone mason and city councilman.
“He wanted to start this up to bring people together and to have a free meal for people in need,” said Brown.
Originally, the meal was served at the Pioneers facility. But after the pandemic forced changes, they shifted to drive-thru service.
The project wraps up early enough for most of the members of Pioneers to go home and have a meal with their families in the afternoon.
Brown, a Christian County native who is retired from managing Taco Bell restaurants, will head to his mother’s house in the county for his Thanksgiving meal. He’s already received his assignment from his sister. He is expected to bring the banana pudding this year.
Jennifer P. Brown is co-founder, publisher and editor of Hoptown Chronicle. You can reach her at editor@hoptownchronicle.org. Brown was a reporter and editor at the Kentucky New Era, where she worked for 30 years. She is a co-chair of the national advisory board to the Institute for Rural Journalism and Community Issues, governing board past president for the Kentucky Historical Society, and co-founder of the Kentucky Open Government Coalition. She serves on the Hopkinsville History Foundation's board.
