MARTINS FERRY — The First Presbyterian Church of Martins Ferry is offering free Thanksgiving dinners to anyone in need this Thursday.

The free meals will be available from 11 a.m. to 2 p.m. Thanksgiving Day at the church, located at 400 Walnut St.

Barbara Vickers Morris, an elder of the church who assists with the dinner giveaways, said everyone is welcome to receive a meal, which includes turkey, stuffing, mashed potatoes, gravy, green beans, homemade cranberry sauce, a roll and choice of desert between yellow cake, pumpkin pie and pumpkin roll.

“All the meals are pre-packaged, and they will have a choice of dessert,” she said. “We also include a prayer, a note from the congregation, in the meal.”

Morris said the annual giveaway is again being held via takeout only due to the ongoing COVID-19 pandemic.

“It used to be an in-house dinner at the church, but with COVID we haven’t been able to do that. We wish we could have it in-house, but we’re still being cautious,” she said, adding that she is hoping that by next year they will be able to offer the dinner inside the church again.

Church volunteers will be on site to greet attendees and help pass out the dinners. Those who stop in for a meal can tell the volunteers how many dinners they need and select their deserts. Safety measures will be in place with all volunteers donning masks.

Last year, the church gave out around 90 meals to residents during the event. Morris said they are hoping to provide around 100 people with to-go dinners this year. She noted that the attendance was much higher when the dinner was held inside the church and typically served around 150 people.

Morris’ daughter, Beth Vickers, prepares and cooks all the meals herself. Vickers, a chef, said she is glad to be involved and to help give something back to the community.

“There’s a need in this valley and when I can help, I do,” she added.

The dinners have become something of a family affair as Morris, Vickers and her daughter, Breezy, also help with the event. Vickers said Breezy assists her with the cooking.

“There’s three generations of us that help do this,” Vickers said.

The church has offered the free holiday meals for more than 20 years now. Morris and Vickers have continued to keep the tradition alive for the past five years, since the elder who started the free dinner program moved to another state around that time.

“They started this as a promise to God for a miracle that was delivered to them and that’s how we continue to do it,” she said.

Morris said they are happy to be able to provide those around the area with a meal for the holiday.