For some, the Thanksgiving meal will be eaten with family and friends gathered around a table loaded with a big turkey and all the trimmings.

For others in the community, that idealized portrait of

Thanksgiving is true only in a Norman Rockwell painting.

The Rev. Jeff Cremeans, director of the Ironton City Mission, estimated that 500 people will get their holiday meal from his organization.

“It seems to increase a little bit every year. In 2005 we served 461 meals and last year we served 473 meals so it goes up a little every year,” Cremeans said.

Cremeans estimated if he had to pay for all the food used out of city mission funds, it would cost between $2,500 and $3,000. Fortunately, numerous churches, schools and civic organizations step forward each year to help, either with food drives or monetary donations.

Monday, H.B. “Doc” Riley Chapter 51 of the Disabled American Veterans took Cremeans shopping to purchase some of the food for the dinner.

“We just want to help our fellow Americans and help our fellow veterans,” DAV Treasurer Alan Unrue said. “We’ll probably do it again in December. We’ll give toys and buy food for the food baskets.”

With one holiday out of the way and another one approaching, Cremeans said city mission volunteers will begin Monday to prepare for the Christmas toy and food basket requests.

“We started several months ago, really,” he said. “Some of the women found toys they thought we could use and bought them and we got some calls (for assistance) in October.”

Each year more than 600 families received Christmas toys and food baskets from the city mission, most of it donated from the DAV and other entities in the community.