American Legion holding free annual dinner on November 19
Enterprise file photo — Michael Koff
Food gets dished at the annual Voorheesville American Legion dinner, which is held every year around Thanksgiving and offers free food to all who want it.
VOORHEESVILLE — The Voorheesville American Legion Post 1493 will be holding its annual free dinner on Nov. 19, the Sunday before Thanksgiving.
As always, the menu will feature turkey, ham, “and all the fixings, including beverages and dessert,” according to a legion invite.
People can eat their meal at the legion hall, on Voorheesville Avenue, or take the food to go from noon until 4 p.m. All are welcome.
Mark Switzer, who is co-chairman of the dinner and the legion’s third vice commander, told The Enterprise that this dinner has been held for at least the past 20 years, except during COVID, and can bring as many as 350 people over the course of the afternoon.
“We probably have upwards of 30 turkeys and 20 hams,” Switzer said, with legion members handling all the prep work, from peeling potatoes and making stuffing to cooking and carving the meats.
Although meals are free, the legion accepts donations during the dinner, Switzer said, and then sends the money collected to a variety of different organizations.
Last year, the dinner raised over $6,000, with $1,000 each going to the New Scotland Community Food Pantry, the New Scotland Kiwanis Food Pantry, the Hilltown Christmas Fund, the Onesquethaw food pantry, the Veterans Miracle Center in Albany, and the town of New Scotland Senior Citizens Program.
