EO Salvation Army whips up pre-Thanksgiving dinner

EAST ORANGE, NJ — The East Orange Salvation Army hosted its third annual pre-Thanksgiving Community Dinner at its headquarters on Main Street, with the help of several volunteers, including the members of the East Orange Fire Department FMBA Local 23.

“This is actually the third annual Community Thanksgiving Dinner that we give for the community before Thanksgiving; it’s always the Sunday before Thanksgiving,” Salvation Army Corps Officer Capt. Scott See said Sunday, Nov. 20. “It’s just open to anyone that would like to come and have a meal. We’re not targeting anyone specific. It doesn’t matter your socioeconomics; you can come and just have a meal and be blessed by us.”

See thanked the East Orange Salvation Army’s advisory board members and all the other volunteers, including the members of FMBA Local 23 of the East Orange Fire Department who came out to help make the pre-Thanksgiving dinner a success.

“This year, the Fire Department pitched in and they cooked six of the turkeys,” See said, adding, “We had other volunteers that have come some through the Fire Department and some through the advisory board who are really the ones that began this project. They got the idea that they wanted to have this Community Thanksgiving Dinner and they’re the ones that spearheaded this. Getting everything ready is a lot of work, so we’re thankful for all the volunteers.”

FMBA Local 23 President Garrett Winn and his fellow firefighters, including Corey Baskerville, said helping See and Goldie Burbage, the Salvation Army Advisory Board chairwoman, provide residents with a good meal at the start of the annual holiday season is a labor of love.

“We help out every year,” Baskerville said Sunday, Nov. 20. “It’s always a team effort. It’s always great to give back and we always take care of the community.”

And See also credited volunteer Monica Jackson with “cooking everything but the turkeys this year.”

Burbage called the event a “family affair,” adding the “East Orange Fire Department has always been active in the community.”

“The firemen and the firemen’s mother cooked the turkey; don’t leave the mother out,” said Burbage on Sunday, Nov. 20. “It’s become a tradition and it’s a family affair. I have my son, Jeffrey, and the firemen brought their mother, Juanita Walker.”

It appears that the East Orange Fire Department “family” has gotten bigger, thanks to the newest class of recruits, who took time out from their training to help serve the meal. Baskerville and Winn said the rookies’ help was greatly appreciated.

“Our family is getting bigger and that’s a good thing, because it’s more protection for the city,” Baskerville said. “It shows the city is growing and we’re moving in a positive direction. It’s also more diverse, because we have two new female firefighters and, of course, that’s a good thing.”

  East Orange Fire Department, Goldie Burbage, Salvation Army, Scott See