This Thanksgiving a record number of free holiday meals were served and delivered to the community throughout Jefferson County, and some say inflated food costs have increased demand.

American Legion Post Townsend Marvin G. Shields Memorial Post 26, Jefferson County Food Bank Association, and Holiday Meals of Jefferson County reported a notable influx of meals served across the county this year, potentially revealing the harsh reality that some citizens may now be unable to afford to cook Thanksgiving dinner.

Holiday Meals of Jefferson County hosted their annual Thanksgiving Dinner Thursday afternoon at the Tri-Area Community Center in Chimacum and served a total of 573 meals, an increase of over 170 meals served in 2023.  

Holiday Meals is unrelated to the JCFBA, which reported distributing 850 turkey and vegan protein options to clients along with other food items, an increase from prior years.

Leading the dinner pass was Ryan Lammers, the vice president of the Holiday Meals organization. He has been on the board for the last four years and was a volunteer before then.

He said there are many reasons why attendance is spiking, but he believes food costs are a significant contributor.

“I think it’s just come down to where you go out and buy a turkey. You used to get them for what 69 cents a pound when they were on sale,” said Lammers. “Now you’re lucky to get them for $1.99 a pound. I think it’s gotten to the point where people just can’t afford it.”

Demand for home-cooked holiday meals is a growing concern for the non-profit organization. Lammers said that he expects attendance to continue increasing, but the dinner’s sudden growth is testing the facilities’ limits.     

“We’ve had many board meetings because we’ve kind of outgrown the facility we’re in. We’re not sure what we’re going to do, whether we’re going to cap it and say this is where we’re just going to have to say no,” he said. “I could easily see us doing 600-700 next year and we don’t have the facility for that. I think people are struggling with the economy and with what food costs. We’ve had to go out and really attack our donations in the last couple of years compared to what we used to get.”

A survey by Statista found that the average price of a ten-person Thanksgiving dinner has increased by almost 40% since 2020. The average price for a complete Thanksgiving feast in 2020 was $47, but in 2024, dinner cost nearly $59. That was actually a slight improvement, given that in 2022, the price peaked at $64 per dinner.

Lammers said he has seen these costs rise significantly but pledges that they will continue to serve cost-free, home-cooked holiday meals for the community as long as they can. 

“The average event costs us close to $3,000 to $4,000 now. I remember back when I first got involved, you could do a whole three to four hundred people for two grand,” he said. “We totally rely on the community for donations so that we can keep it free. Because we’ve said the day we charge, we’re done.”

Lammers said that a large portion of the meals served goes to those in the community who lack transportation, live in senior centers or are now spending the holidays on their own. He said that nearly 40% of the meals served are to individuals without family around.

“They lost their spouse a couple of years ago, and they don’t want to go sit down in a crowd of people and have a conversation with them. They just want a good home-cooked meal and to stay at home,” he said.

For some, the holiday meals at the community center represent far more than Thanksgiving dinner. This year marks 20 years since Anna Vaughan and her husband, Doug, first attended the dinner, which became a yearly tradition for the couple. Ten years ago, Doug suddenly passed away on Thanksgiving Day.

“That’s what keeps bringing me back. We did this every year, and I want to keep the tradition alive,” said Vaughan. Their story, along with many others, serves as a reminder of the deeper significance of these meals.

Vaughan was among a diverse group of attendees who enjoyed home-cooked turkey, stuffing, mashed potatoes, green beans, a dinner roll and a dessert.

“It’s not like you’re going to Denny’s and getting a meal. You’re actually getting a real meal,” said Lammers.

While Lammers is accustomed to chasing down donations, he was presently surprised at how much the community responded and chipped in.

“We put out a donation jar. People coming to get a meal put in a couple dollars here, a couple dollars there; just what they can afford to put in. I think the biggest donation we got was like $45 for somebody,” said Lammers. “It just adds up when you have that many people coming in.”

The donation jar was filled with more than $1000 in contributions from the wallets of everyday people. Other than business donations, the total was far more than any given event for Holiday Meals of Jefferson County.