Thursday, the birds came out of the ovens golden brown.
"Took about 6 and a half hours to cook, let them cool down now, and volunteers get here to carve. It they're not cooled off enough, they won't tear apart and cut smooth," said Chuck Mclean.
Thanksgiving is the Mission's largest volunteer participation event. Activities for the day also included carnival games for the children with prizes. Volunteers also gave out free winter coats, clothing, and bags of groceries.
Organizers said they planned to feed about a thousand on Thanksgiving. In addition to turkey, the meals included all the traditional trimmings like stuffing and vegetables.
The mission is getting a lot more demand this year thanks to the economy.
"The price of turkey is up and food prices are up. It makes it harder for a family to put a turkey meal on the table," offered Mills.
With the Thanksgiving meal prepared, the mission is now looking ahead to Christmas. It's looking for donations and volunteers for that meal. For more information, go to the mission website at www.durhamrescuemission.org or call (919) 688-9641. To volunteer at the Christmas event, call Rodney McClain at (919) 688-9641 ext 5025.
