The "best Thanksgiving ever" is awaiting those who visit the Salvation Army Austin Corps Thursday.

For the lonely and hungry, there is no better place to go than the place where people try to make Thanksgiving Day and everyday the best ever.

Val Maloney, longtime volunteer, and Pat Wright, social services supervisor, are spear-heading this year's Thanksgiving Day dinner.

They will serve more than 200 meals noon to 1 p.m. Thursday. Volunteers will assist them, including making deliveries to shut-ins.

Maloney spent more than 10 years overseas, training nurses. Thus, helping the Salvation Army is a case of doing what she loves doing most of all in life.

Why does she do this when she could be celebrating Thanksgiving day at home? "Because it's so much fun and it's the thing to do," she said.

This holiday season, the Salvation Army will attempt to raise $104,000 for its Christmas appeal.

One of the most popular efforts is its bell-ringing. This year, Salvation Army volunteers are at eight store locations throughout Austin.

The Austin Shrine Temple does a lot of the bell-ringing at local stores.

This is the Shriners' 40th season of bell-ringing for the Salvation Army. The Shriners have raised more than $100,000 for the Salvation Army's annual Christmas appeals in four decades of volunteer work.

There is also the Salvation Army's Angel Tree at Oak Park Mall. Shoppers can select a name of a needy chid and shop for that person.

The Coats For Kids project has collection boxes at Culver's Restaurant, Staples Superstore and the Salvation Army headquarters.

On Monday, the Culver's Restaurant also donated 10 percent of their sales to the Salvation Army, according to Wright.

The Salvation Army still needs more toddler and small children coats, mittens and other outer wear, because of the demand.

Jim Middleton is recruiting volunteers for all of the Christmas appeal fund-raising efforts.

Middleton also needs volunteers for the newest fundraising effort: the Homeless For the Holidays project.

"People don't understand, but being homeless is a problem right here in Mower

County," said Middleton. "Last year, we raised almost $5,000 with our first Homeless For the Holidays project and we hope to raise more this year."

This year, there is the need to raise more. Consider the Thanksgiving baskets.

Last Sunday, volunteers filled

250 baskets that will feed 819 people Thursday. That's 75 more than a year ago, according to Lori Espe, volunteer coordinator.

But Espe and others are worried about the quick turn-around needed to fill Christmas baskets.

"We expect about 300 food baskets for needy families at Christmas," said Wright. "That's why we like the Charter Communications idea to conduct a food drive for items that we can turn around and use to fill the Christmas baskets right away."

The emergency food shelves at the Salvation Army are being depleted rapidly. In October, there were 25 new requests for assistance. The number grows in November and December. "Many are new residents, but we're also seeing people who are laid off their jobs and a victim of the economy," Wright said.

Major Doug Yeck, officer in charge, sees an increasing demand.

"My biggest fear is that we are used to seeing poor people come to the Salvation Army for help," he said. "Now, we are seeing the middle class, too. It's growing all the time."

"People, who once wouldn't come to us for help out of pride now are asking for help," he said.

Yeck also fears that as funding sources for winter heating assistance dry up, that will create a greater hardship among the indigent to pay their utility bills this winter.

The Salvation Army is also preparing for an increase in the number of people who participate in the free community meals offered at the community center.

Beginning in January, the Salvation Army will offer meals four times a week instead of two.

"We're average in the high 90s already," said Yeck. "Between 20 to 30 percent are Hispanic and they range in age from the 20s to the 40s and also some elderly."

Is it any wonder, Ms. Maloney and the other Salvation Army volunteers say they

don't miss holidays at home when they have "things to do" for others.

(Lee Bonorden can be contacted at 434-2232 or by e-mail at

lee.bonorden@austindailyherald.com)