OSCEOLA COUNTY, Fla. – The Salvation Army is changing its plans this Thanksgiving to meet the needs of people in Osceola County.
After a fire destroyed their building on Union Street in Kissimmee, the group plans to bus people to their headquarters in Orlando for a holiday meal.
Captain Ken Chapman, the area commander of the Salvation Army, says it’s worth the time and resources to make sure everyone has a place to go and a meal to share on the holiday.
“Just because someone did something against us doesn’t mean we should let those people suffer,” said Chapman.
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Police arrested Cordearo Mable after the fire on Nov. 6. Officials say he admitted to starting the fire. Chapman told News 6 that Mable had frequently used their services and was trespassed from the building earlier in the day.
The building was destroyed along with everything inside it, including office equipment, kitchen equipment, new washers and dryers, and the food pantry.
Chapman says they will send mini-buses back and forth several times from the Union Street location between 11 a.m. and 2 p.m. on Thanksgiving day.
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In Orlando, work is already underway to prepare Thursday’s meal.
News 6 went inside the kitchen at Valencia College where 4,000 cookies were baked and packaged by volunteers Tuesday. Chef Alex Erdmann, the dean of the School of Culinary Arts and Hospitality Management, says the cookies are placed in to-go bags along with a packaged meal and cutlery. People who eat lunch at the headquarters Thursday will get pumpkin pie for dessert.
“This facility is maxed out. We’re doing 8,000 portions,” said Erdmann. “We produce it here. We ship it over to the Salvation Army Headquarters. They are going to distribute it there to the homeless and folks who can share a meal. And of course, we have our church volunteers that ship it out into the community. So, it really touches a lot of folks.
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