Lowe's Provides Free Thanksgiving Meals To Residents Wednesday

As a way of giving thanks, Lowe's will reach out to support communities affected by Hurricane Sandy by providing over 22,000 free Thanksgiving dinners to residents on Wednesday.

In 35 stores in both New York and New Jersey -- including the Route 58 location in Riverhead -- free grab-and-go, heat-and-serve Thanksgiving meals will be distributed. 

The outreach is part of the company's continuing effort to help those battered by the storm.

Marcus Lewis, manager of the Riverhead Lowe's, said the dinners are a way for the company to reach out to the community and be a good neighbor during the difficult aftermath of the storm.

"There are certain pockets of people still without power, or who have exhausted their holiday funds on batteries or other necessities. For us to be able to reach out and still have them enjoy the holiday is a great thing for us here," he said.

Trucks will be set up outside Lowe's and ready to serve residents by 11 a.m. Wednesday, Lewis said.  

At each location, Lowe's will provide fully cooked Boston Market, family-style meals, including fresh roasted turkey or ham, mashed potatoes with gravy, sweet corn, and rolls.

Each store will offer approximately 500 meals that will be distributed on a first-come, first-served basis to community members. Each meal can feed up to six people.

In addition, all Lowe’s employees in the designated stores will receive a meal as a thank you for their dedication before, during and after the storm. 

As residents struggle to pick up the pieces after the storm, food continues to be a critical need, Lowe's representatives said. The dinners distributed Wednesday are estimated to feed more than 136,000 people in communities hit hard by Hurricane Sandy.

In addition, Table Talk Pies of Worcester, Massachusetts, donated more than 43,000 pies to be included in meals.

For a list of Lowe's locations where meals will be distributed, click here.