Springs Rescue Mission offers Thanksgiving lunch with COVID-19 guidelines

COLORADO SPRINGS, Colo. (KRDO) -- Springs Rescue Mission is feeding the homeless with its annual Thanksgiving dinner on Wednesday.

The event is free and open to the public, but specifically designed to give Southern Colorado's homeless community a great holiday experience. Attendees will receive a free meal as well as access to health services, including the flu shot and other health screenings. The mission will also offer cold-weather gear such as coats, gloves, socks, and hats.

This year the dinner will be at the Samaritan's Kitchen and Dining Hall which has a seating capacity of 185. Due to COVID-19 restrictions, the mission will only be serving 50 individuals at a time. This is in efforts to prevent the spread of the virus among the homeless community. The Dining Hall plans to operate at 25% capacity. Guests will be socially distanced, and the mission will provide access to hand-washing stations, hand sanitizer, and face masks.

In recent years, Springs Rescue Mission volunteers and staff have served 800 to 1,000 meals at the annual Thanksgiving celebration.

This will be the first year the dinner will take place in the Mission's new 10,000 square foot Samaritan's Kitchen and Dining Hall. For the past few years, the banquet has been hosted at the City Auditorium in downtown Colorado Springs.