Mr. Thanksgiving is very relieved after reaching his fundraising goal for his 45th annual dinner. Today, Bob Vogelbaugh received $6,000 from the Moline, Rock Island, and East Moline Police benevolent associations, which brings donations to $16,000 total.
Vogelbaugh says his Thanksgiving Day dinner is no longer just a local event--it now brings people together from across Illinois and Iowa.
This year's dinner is more expensive after the cooler broke at a former restaurant at SouthPark Mall. Vogelbaugh now has to pay extra for refrigeration at the two local HyVee stores where he buys the food.
He's also spending more money to fix one of his commercial coffee makers and on renting tables and chairs--but Mr. Thanksgiving says that won't slow him down.
The turkey dinner for 2,500 to 3,000 people will be served on Thanksgiving from 4 to 6pm at SouthPark Mall in Moline.