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Salvation Army swamped with help Christmas food baskets next on organization's busy agenda By PETER WONG The Salvation Army served up lots of turkey and trimmings for Thanksgiving Day dinner, but already it is looking ahead to Christmas. More than 100 people showed up at the Salvation Army Community Center in Medford for the free dinner, one of three scheduled Thursday in Medford and Ashland -- and that number excluded the volunteers. "We had such an incredible outpouring of volunteers that we put some of them to work sorting cans today, getting ready to put together (Christmas) food baskets," said Jim Strom of the Salvation Army. "The turnout was beyond our wildest dreams. We had about 50 volunteers; we probably turned away another 35 to 50." Phil Sadlier of Jacksonville, chairman of the Salvation Army's advisory board, said all of that effort will be needed -- plus donations of food and cash -- to help the agency meet what is expected to be a record demand for food baskets this Christmas. He said the Salvation Army distributed about 1,200 food baskets last Christmas in addition to the 500 to 600 it gives to needy households every month. "The monthly figure has been going up, and if that is any indication, I assume that the number for Christmas will go up, too," Sadlier said. "There is a lot of demand out there, sad but true." The Salvation Army distributed more than 550 Thanksgiving food baskets this year. Strom said he is gratified by the response to the Salvation Army's last-minute call for volunteers via newspaper and radio appeals. The Bear Creek Valley Rotary Club also contributed more than a half-dozen volunteers. "They got to see how a little bit of effort helps a lot of people," he said. The Salvation Army's holiday bell ringers and donation kettles will be out in full force today in about two dozen locations scattered throughout the county. A few bell ringers were out Thursday at grocery stores open for last-minute Thanksgiving shoppers. Other locations serving up free turkey and trimmings were The Bridge in Medford, sponsored by the Word of Life Christian Fellowship, and the National Guard Armory in Ashland, sponsored by Caring Friends and the Oregon National Guard. Marty Bryant, organizer of the Ashland event, said 256 people showed up, up slightly from the 248 last year. "I am tired -- I started cooking yesterday (Wednesday) and finished at 3:30 this morning -- but everything went smoothly," Bryant said. The diners finished off 32 of the 40 turkeys available for the event. Bryant sent eight turkeys and other leftover food to the Medford Gospel Mission. Mail Tribune Copyright � The Mail Tribune 1999, Medford, Oregon USA