There’s no such thing as being without an invitation to Thanksgiving dinner in Haines.

Three local churches have opened their doors to offer a traditional meal to members of the public. The Haines Assembly of God and Port Chilkoot Bible Church each are setting tables for dinners starting at noon and ending by 2.p.m.

In addition, the Haines Salvation Army is hosting a dinner starting at 3 p.m. at its headquarters at 430 Union Street.

Salvation Army Lt. David Kyle said he received early information that a community Thanksgiving had been discontinued, so he decided to expand his dinner from church members to all comers. “In the last couple weeks, I found out Assembly is doing one and Port Chilkoot is doing one. The times work out so you can finish up there and come here and eat again. If you’re not stuffed on Thanksgiving Day, there’s a problem.”

Kyle said his will be a traditional, sit-down meal. “Just turkey, ham and all the usual doo-dads. Pretty standard stuff. I’ve talked to people in town and nobody wants anything funky.”

Kyle said he recently distributed Thanksgiving food boxes – including turkey, pie and the trimmings – to 72 households. “They seem to really appreciate the boxes. There’s a lot of community interest.”

The average box costs about $46 and he’s collected about $1,500 in donations. “So I hope to have another $1,500 in the mail someplace,” Kyle said.

Howsers, Mountain Market and Oleruds donated groceries toward the boxes.

The Salvation Army starts its Christmas bell-ringing campaign Friday downtown.