MOUNT VERNON – On Wednesday night, Mount Vernon resident Sarah Wood and her team of volunteers expect to feed 500 people a free Thanksgiving meal at Knox County Memorial Building.

This has become an annual tradition for Wood and her family, who first decided to organize the meal 18 years ago as a way to honor her daughter, Michelle, who perished in a fire in 1990. She was four years old.

“We had been doing different things, from easter egg hunts to dances or whatever, and my youngest daughter said, ‘Why don’t we just do the Thanksgiving dinner in memory of Michelle?’” Wood recalled. “And that’s what we’ve been doing ever since.”

Over the years, more people have attended the dinner as word has gotten around. Wood said Tuesday that the goal is to feed “as many people as possible” and that all are welcome.

“We’re hoping for a good turnout and we’re doing a lot of cooking and getting things ready,” Wood said.

The days and weeks leading up to Thanksgiving have turned into a laborious yet rewarding time for all involved with putting on the dinner. By Tuesday, volunteers will have bought or collected all donated food items and brought them back to the Memorial Building’s kitchen, located in the basement. On Wednesday, they will spend the entire day cooking.

Wood said that around 70 people volunteer at the dinner each year, including most of her immediate family, various church groups, boy scout troops, health department representatives and community members. She receives donations for food from a variety of organizations and individuals each fall, including Mazza’s Restaurant, Tim Horton’s and Woodforest National Bank, among others.

This year, the list of donated items is extensive: 19 turkeys, 250 pounds of potatoes, 60 pounds of sweet potatoes, 20 dozen eggs, 500 rolls and 500 desserts. Gallons of punch and coffee have also been donated.

Wood said that most of the donations spur from a grocery list that she posts on Facebook.

“Everybody shares it, passes it on, and people either donate food or money to buy the food,” Wood said.

Those who attend will receive a traditional Thanksgiving meal, including turkey, stuffing, gravy, mashed potatoes, corn, green beans, mac and cheese, rolls and salad. The Memorial Building’s basement is decorated like a dining room and volunteers will assist those who are unable to get their own food.

“It’s a lot of work, but it’s good work,” said Mary Henson, Woods’ mother, who usually peels around 50 potatoes each year in preparation for the dinner.

Henson said the free meal allows many community members to enjoy a hot Thanksgiving dinner when they might not have had the opportunity to do so otherwise.

“There are so many people that come that really appreciate it and stuff, and some that would have had to eat alone or not have a meal. So when they come, they let you know about that, too,” Henson said. “There’s a lot of people that need help that you don’t know about.”

As the dinner has grown in popularity, it has impacted people outside the Knox County community as well. A couple of years ago, Wood said a family from Dayton came for the Wednesday night meal after their house had burned down on Monday night. The family had gotten out safe, but all of their material goods were gone.

“It destroyed everything in their entire home,” Wood said. “And they said if they hadn’t heard of the dinner, they wouldn’t know where to have gone to have a nice dinner.”

Wood views the dinner as a way to bring the community together during the holiday season, a cause that honors Michelle appropriately.

“I think that the way we look at it, it would make Michelle smile,” Wood said. “It would make her happy to see all these people come together who didn’t know each other at all to begin with, but who have come together to make lifelong friendships.”

Doors for the meal open at 3:30 p.m. on Wednesday.