On November 27, Emmanuel Episcopal Church volunteers will serve free Thanksgiving dinners starting at 9:45 a.m., take-outs scheduled from 11:15 a.m. to 12:00 p.m. and dine in to begin at 12:00 p.m., located at 37 West Main Street in Norwich. Photo from last year's event. (Submitted photo)

NORWICH - The Emmanuel Episcopal Church, also known as "The Soul Kitchen," located at 37 West Main Street in Norwich, will again provide free Thanksgiving dinners for the community.

John Klockowski and Gary Brookins will run the dinner with help from volunteers, on Thursday, November 27.

Home deliveries will be available within a two-mile radius starting at 9:45 a.m. Takeouts are scheduled from 11:15 a.m. to noon, with dine-in beginning at noon. 

To order dinners for home delivery or takeout, call 607-334-8801 or email emmanuelchurch20@gmail.com by 1 p.m., Wednesday, November 26,

"Come prepared for a very hearty thanksgiving meal and we look forward to seeing as many people as possible," said Klockowski. "Come with stories, share stories and have a good time."

“The dinner will consist of turkey, mashed potatoes, corn, stuffing, cranberry sauce, and pie,” he said. “We receive a nice donation of gravy from Tim Tompson, prior owner of the Ontario Hotel and we also order pies from Maines."

“The Thanksgiving dinner is a tradition spanning 20 years and was started by my dear friend and Reverand Charlie McMullen,” Klockowski said. “He was the architect of all of this, the architect of our monthly meals and was involved in all of it, about 20 years before I was fortunate enough to start working with him in Oxford."

"He was the man and although he passed away in 2021, he remains the man," Klockowski continued. "He saw there was a huge number of people going without a meal on Thanksgiving and put this together.”

Klockowski said he will be joined in the kitchen again this year with his son Jake, Brookins, and numerous volunteers. 

"Jake is known as the stuffing guy and I'm the mashed potatoe guy," added Klockowski.

“My favorite part of the holiday dinner is preparing for the event, boning the turkeys and bantering back and forth in the kitchen with Gary Brookins and volunteers," Klockowski said.

He said they've had their share of challenges, mostly in the constant prep of the meal, making sure the stations are fully stocked, everyone gets a break, and to keep it smoothly running while filling the plates through the day.

“All in all, we have fun and enjoy feeding those who otherwise would not have a meal,” said Klockowski. 

He said many people are grateful for the dinner and share their stories and some even cry.

Klockowski noted, “This dinner and the Soul Kitchen operations would not be possible without the backing of the Episcopal Church, Father Steve White and former Father Chuck Taylor, and all the hard work and planning by Gary Brookins and our dedicated team of volunteers.

Last year, they served 975 meals, and this year, they plan to assemble over 1,000 meals.

For more information email emmanuelchurch20@gmail.com.