Thanksgiving will be a challenge for Salvation Army in Conroe

CONROE, TX (KTRK) -- Every year, the Salvation Army in Conroe feeds at least 3,000 people on Thanksgiving Day. But this year circumstances changed those plans.

"We purchased the meals already cooked," says Corps Officer Adrian Twinney. "One of the vendors we normally use is no longer in business."

And the other vendor stopped cooking Thanksgiving dinners altogether.

Adrian Twinney says their kitchen just isn't large enough to meet the need. So the work happening there Wednesday was for them to feed their clients who lay their heads in the shelter at night.

"Most houses would have a kitchen twice the size of our present kitchen," he says. "So we're not able to serve 3,000 meals out of our present kitchen by no means at all."

And there's a space issue.

"Where we would normally serve up to 3,000 people is where the new shelter is going to stand," said Twinney.

Some of the people who would normally eat their Thanksgiving dinner right outside the Salvation Army will eat just a few steps away at the East Texas Dream Center.

"We were prepared for 400, but now we're preparing for over 1,000 people," says Samantha Thornhill.

Thornhill says they just found out a couple of days ago, but they'll have enough to go around.

The bright side is that this trouble won't last always. The new Salvation Army building is scheduled to be done in the spring.

"This time next year there will be a new shelter there which will house up to 125 individuals each night," Adrian Twinney shared.

Complete with a commercial kitchen to bring Thanksgiving dinner back.