With the Thanksgiving holiday just a week away, a number of local businesses, churches and other organizations are gearing up to offer community-wide Thanksgiving Day meals for those in need or those who wish to celebrate the holiday in the company of others.

Meals will be held in both Gloucester and Mathews. As part of several of the outreaches, meals will also be delivered to those who cannot make it out to the events.

In Gloucester

Abingdon Episcopal Church at White Marsh will host its annual Thanksgiving Day meal from 11 a.m. until 2 p.m. in the parish house. Admission is free and the meal is open to all in the community. No reservations are necessary.

The meal at Abingdon is a tradition started more than 20 years ago when church members and the then-rector decided that Gloucester needed an open community Thanksgiving Day dinner to bring people together to celebrate the community and give thanks for the bounty that God provides, according to church member Warren Haley.

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