Goose Creek, South Carolina. A house in Goose Creek filled with the aroma of turkey and other Thanksgiving classics, ready to feed sailors and airmen from the nearby training base.
For the past four years, the Bluebirds Take Flight nonprofit has hosted a Thanksgiving feast for active military members.
“This is their first time away from home. And I know that when my kid was in the program, it was difficult to have him away for the holidays,” said Karrie Anderson, organizer of the annual dinner.
Anderson leases a residential house every year because she believes having the dinner at home is crucial.
“We wanted to do it in a home setting to give them the sense of being at home with friends and family.” So when they come here, that’s what they get,” Anderson explained.
Military troops perceive it as a home away from home, especially those who are spending their first holiday away from their family.
“It’s nice to have something that feels like home, even though I’m not at home,” said Maile Hodges, a US Navy sailor.
“I think what they’re doing here is excellent. It’s a residential property. Miles Schincke, a member of the United States Navy, said it was just like being at home.
Anderson organizes games for attendees, such as cornhole, football, and cards.
The kitchen prepared a large traditional supper.
“I prepare turkey stuffing. So I prepare homemade bread stuffing. We prepared two, four, six, eight, ten, and eleven turkeys today. We also have green bean casserole. We have yams. We have mashed potatoes and gravy, of course,” Anderson explained.
Home-cooked meals are very important to the sailors.
“It’s good for my heart. “It’s much kinder emotionally,” Hodges explained.
Anderson claims that each year grows more amazing as more individuals attend.
“What makes me feel the very first year when we went around the table, and the sailors got to say what they were thankful for, I walked away knowing it was so magical and I had to come back every year,” says Anderson.
Anderson considers it a family away from home because some sailors return year after year.
“Like all of my children, once I get them and can give them a mom hug, I understand how important it is to their families to know that they have somewhere to go.” But they all become family to me,” Anderson explained.
Bluebirds Take Flight’s Thanksgiving dinner has become an annual tradition, which Anderson says will continue for many years.
