Salvation Army volunteers are thankful to give

Bob Hooker, 76, began volunteering on Thanksgiving after his wife died six years ago and enjoyed spending his holiday serving others so much he’s done it every year since.

“It seemed like a real blessing. I get to looking forward to it because I know they need help,” Hooker said Thursday morning as he served hot plates of biscuits and gravy, sausage and scrambled eggs at The Salvation Army Thanksgiving Brunch.

“I don’t just want to take Thanksgiving for granted and eat it all myself,” he said, laughing.

More than 200 volunteers helped make the charity breakfast a success at the Bricktown Coca-Cola Event Center, 425 E. California, on a cold turkey-day morning.

And more than 1,000 hungry guests enjoyed the brunch that has been offered by the organization for years, but usually as a turkey dinner.

“We found that last year we had so many people early, standing in line for coffee and doughnuts at 8 a.m.” said Major Francina Proctor, coordinator of women’s ministries for The Salvation Army.

So the agency, known to most by the holiday bell ringers collecting change at shopping centers, decided to host a brunch that fills a need in the gap of free holiday meals in Oklahoma City.

Proctor said there is an incredible need for charity this holiday season.

“This last week every day I’ve come to work we’ve had people wrapped around our building coming to us for help,” Proctor said adding they gave away 400 turkeys.

Among those families coming for help for the first time this Thanksgiving was Jessi Kever, her four children and her mother.

“We’re thankful for it, very thankful for it,” Kever said. They are also thankful for the home they planned on returning to after their breakfast feast.

Kever spent a part of the year homeless for the first time in her life, but with the help of the City Rescue Mission she found a home in August.

“It was rough but with family support I made it,” Kever said as her twin 1-year olds happily gobbled their Thanksgiving breakfast. “They’re much better since we got in our own home. We’ve never had a house, only apartments before this. They have their own rooms and their own stuff.”

Kever said her children’s school is pitching in at Christmas time to help with gifts.

Proctor urged people to get involved this holiday season, whether it was dropping a few coins in the red Salvation Army buckets, or picking a child’s name of the Angel Tree at Penn Square Mall and buying the gift listed on the card.

For Hooker the ability to volunteer his time is a blessing, and he’s recruited friends to join him.

“It’s infectious,” he said.