Thanksgiving meals project brought hundreds to Calvary this week

Hundreds lined up outside Calvary Episcopal Church over the last three days as parishioners handed out more than 980 turkeys during its annual Thanksgiving Meals project.

In 2007, the congregation, located in downtown Louisville, gave away enough turkeys and food to provide Thanksgiving dinner for 391 people.  This year, the congregation, assisted by donations from Kentucky Harvest and St. Matthew's Episcopal Church, distributed more than 984 turkeys and food for Thanksgiving dinners for more than 2902 people.

Margaret Dickinson, a Calvary member and staff member, said Calvary's goal is to insure that everyone residing in downtown Louisville neighborhoods near the church has a Thanksgiving dinner. More than $10,000 in food has been given out thanks to the generosity of Calvary and St. Matthew's members and Kentucky Harvest, she said. Dickinson, who has headed up this Thanksgiving project for several years, noted that she has never seen anything like this year's turnout. At times, the line of people wrapped around the church as people waited in the cold and, on Monday, in the rain.