ROCHELLE – Just like many things this year, the Rochelle VFW Post 3878 Thanksgiving dinner will be a little different.

For more than 50 years post members have been serving members of the community who either need a place to go for Thanksgiving or have no way of making one for themselves or their family at home. This year, dinner will be served as carryout or delivery. Deliveries will begin around 10 a.m. and carryouts will be available until approximately 1 p.m. on Thanksgiving day.

“We won’t be offering in-house dining this year but will still be providing meals for carryout and delivery,” Post Commander Bill Bumgarner said.

The meals will include all of the aspects of a traditional Thanksgiving dinner — turkey and ham, mashed potatoes and gravy, a vegetable, stuffing, dinner rolls and a dessert.

The VFW typically serves more than 200 guests each year with the majority being deliveries.

“We will still be welcoming volunteers to help prepare the meals,” Bumgarner said. “Volunteers will need to have their temperature taken and provide their name and phone number in case we need to contact them later.”

There is no cost to anyone for dinner. 

All of the food for the meals is provided by the City of Rochelle and organizations within the community.

Bumgarner explained that when meals are delivered, the volunteer making the deliver will ring the doorbell [or knock] and make sure that someone is at the door before placing the meal(s) on the porch and backing away.

“We want to limit contact as much as possible,” he said.

While the dinners are provided to anyone in need for free, the Rochelle VFW Post 3878 is always accepting donations of any amount. Anyone who would like to donate can do so by stopping in to the VFW post located at 318 4th Ave. in Rochelle. 

Those wishing to receive a Thanksgiving meal for delivery or carryout are asked to contact the VFW Post by 5 p.m. Monday at 815-562-3878 to ensure enough meals are prepared.