ESSEX, Md. — As families across Baltimore County prepare for Thanksgiving, American Legion Post 148 in Essex is getting ready for one of its biggest community meals yet.
WATCH: Essex American Legion prepares to feed hundreds for Thanksgiving
Volunteers are preparing more than 45 turkeys, dozens of side dishes, and tables of desserts which is enough to feed hundreds of veterans, families, and community members who may have nowhere else to go.
But leaders at the post say their holiday tradition is just one part of a much larger mission.
“We serve the vets, their family, and guests,” said Commander John Parish. “We’re an open post. Anybody can come in as long as they sign the book… and we feed them. And we try to entertain them… we try to make everybody happy.”
Post 148 has been feeding the community for years, and Thanksgiving remains one of its largest efforts. Last year, turnout was around 150 people. The year before, nearly 75 people came through the doors.
This year, Parish says they are preparing for at least 200 guests, including homeless residents who rely on the post for a warm meal and consistent support.
“Anybody walks through our doors, Thanksgiving will be fed,” Parish said. “The homeless people… we set up an area just for them to make them feel comfortable, and we feed them.”
The need, he says, continues to grow.
“Things are so tight. It really is… with the government shutdown, that hurt. And families are struggling.”
Much of the work behind the Thanksgiving feast is done by volunteers not just veterans, but their families, the Auxiliary, and the Sons of the American Legion. Parish and his daughter and office manager, Michelle Bowersox, are leading the effort for the second year in a row.
“Nobody gets paid in the American Legion except for the bartenders and our cleaning people,” Parish said. “Everything is volunteer. We don’t get paid for nothing.”
Bowersox, the post’s office manager and bookkeeper, says planning began more than two months ago. Donations have poured in including over 25 turkeys donated by WillScot, allowing the post to stretch its resources even further this year.
“We started planning well over two months ago,” she said. “Tuesday morning we’ll start cooking and won’t stop until Thanksgiving.”
For Bowersox, the holiday work is personal.
“My family comes with me too, right down to my 11-year-old granddaughter,” she said. “Last year she served the rolls to everyone. This year she’s moving up… she’s really excited. We do it as our family and just join others into our family.”
For many who come to Post 148, Thanksgiving is more than a meal, it’s a place to be seen, supported, and remembered.
“The holidays are depressing for those that are missing family,” Bowersox explained. “When we all come together and we’re laughing and eating and just having a great time, it makes everybody feel better.”
She says the post has become a haven for veterans facing mental health struggles, loneliness, or financial hardship.
“We have a lot of homeless in this area,” she said. “The veterans come here for somewhere to connect with, to have family… we become their family and they come in here and celebrate with us and they’re not as lonely.”
And for those hesitant to ask for help?
“You don’t have to be alone,” Bowersox said.
“We want them here. We wanna spend that time with them. We want them to connect with us… don’t be afraid, don’t be embarrassed. Just come down.”
Post 148 doesn’t limit its service to the holidays. Parish says they frequently step in to help veterans in crisis — with food, emergency shelter, and even rent.
He recalls a call from a veteran living in a Super 8 motel earlier this year.
“He called around different posts and they said, ‘right now we can’t help,’” Parish said. “They called us, we took him food and we paid his rent… I think it was 34 days.”
Thanksgiving dinner at Post 148 begins at 2 p.m. on Thursday. The menu includes turkey, ham, mashed potatoes and gravy, green beans, sweet potatoes, pasta, sauerkraut, and a variety of desserts, from pumpkin pie to cheesecake.
“When it’s over, they’re more than glad to take it home with them,” Parish said.
The post’s message is simple: “Everybody’s welcome,” Parish said. “The more the merrier.”