St. Peter’s prepares for 35th annual Thanksgiving feast

COLUMBIA, SC (WOLO) — St. Peter’s Catholic Church at the corner of Taylor and Assembly Streets in downtown Columbia is joining with First Baptist Church to host their 35th Annual Robert D. Keeder Thanksgiving Dinner.

“This is 40 servings right here. That’s 10 pounds of turkey in each pan,” says church coordinator Hal Lominick.

Around 120 turkeys have been cooked and carved — and are ready for reheating on Thanksgiving morning.

Lominick and others have been volunteering at St. Peter’s for over 25 years — preparing tables, and decorations on Wednesday morning for Thanksgiving’s big feast.

“Well, we love the community and try to help the needy people somewhere on Thanksgiving or holidays. They don’t have any family, and don’t have any placement on where to go to join their family and they’re by themselves, so we welcome them into the church and have a nice meal for them and hopefully have some cheer for the holidays,” he says.

Anywhere from 400 to 600 people who are without a home, or just in need of a hot meal, are expected to attend.

Doors will open at noon on Thanksgiving Day to the public and food will be served until two p.m.

Church members will also deliver over 900 hot dishes to 15 local assisted living and nursing homes on Thursday morning.

“And it’s just a good feeling to help the people in the community. We also help with utility bills, clothing, and some medical assistance,” says Lominick.

St. Peter’s will also provide free meals on Christmas Day, Easter Sunday, and the fourth Saturday of every month.

“Everybody’s welcome. Come one, come all, we’ve got plenty of turkey to go around,” says Lominick.