Woman organizes free Thanksgiving dinner

A Washougal woman is enlisting the help of several of her family members and friends to serve free ham dinners to the community on Thanksgiving Day.

Rhonda Ackman and family will provide honey glazed ham, potatoes, green beans and pumpkin pies from 4 to 6 p.m., Thursday, Nov. 22, in the Washougal Community Center, 1681 “C” St., Washougal.
Ackman determined that ham will be easier to serve than the traditional Thanksgiving turkey.

“If we are serving 80 guests in a short amount of time, carving a big turkey could be a bit more difficult,” she said. “We can put the ham in a roaster, pre-sliced, and have a pretty good assembly line.”

Ackman has previously served dinners with Refuel Washougal — an all-volunteer effort that provides free meals from 4 to 6:30 p.m., on Fridays, in the Washougal Community Center.

“The need is quite something,” she said. “That is what drove me to Refuel, seeing more and more homeless people walking in Camas and Washougal.”

Ackman said the Refuel Washougal meals served on Fridays attract an estimated 50 to 80 people, including the homeless, low income residents and senior citizens.

An individual has provided money to purchase three hams, and Ackman welcomes donations of hygiene kits and store bought pies for the Thanksgiving dinner attendees.

If someone wants to create a clothing drive for that day, they can contact Ackman at rhonda.ackman@yahoo.com.