Ships may get a bottle of champagne for maiden voyages, but the Turlock Gospel Mission will get an entire dinner.

The Turlock Gospel Mission is planning on hosting a community Thanksgiving Dinner at the Broadway facility that will one day be home to a year-round shelter.

"We are very excited about holding the first of many community Thanksgiving Dinners at our permanent location at 437 Broadway in Turlock,” said Tim Guerino, TGM’s executive director. “It will be especially challenging and informing due to the current nature of the building.  We will serve, eat, have fellowship and celebrate in an empty space. And within a year's time it will be transformed into a year-round shelter for men, women and children, along with a kitchen and dining hall."

TGM is expecting to serve about 400 Thanksgiving Day meals from 11 a.m. to 12:30 p.m. Nov. 28, and is in need of some community support to make that happen.

“We continue to rely on the generosity, effort, and financial support of the community to make this event a success,” Guerino said.

TGM is in need of all the food served at Thanksgiving, including turkeys and pies. It also needs non-alcoholic beverages like coffee, tea and milk and all the serving pans and utensils, tables and chairs. It’s also looking for some volunteers to help cook and serve that day.

“The need to feed that day along with helping families with food baskets is growing,” Guerino said. “So every bit counts.”

Anyone interested in donating an item or volunteering that day can call the TGM’s Homeless Assistance Ministry at 656-1033.