Thanksgiving is well-known for being filled with love and appreciation as loved ones come together to express what they’re most thankful for. And while this year’s holiday will be a little different, one thing remains just as prevalent and fills me with immense gratitude: the support our culinary cast members give to Coalition for the Homeless of Central Florida—an organization that provides housing, emergency services and diversion for local homeless men, women and children.  

For more than 20 years, our culinary teams have supported Coalition for the Homeless of Central Florida by providing freshly-prepared meals to feed the nearly 650 residents who call the Coalition home—including on Thanksgiving Day. 

Even though this year’s holiday meal serve will be done a little differently, Chef James and his culinary team are carrying on the tradition and whipping up a traditional Thanksgiving Day meal complete with all the classic fixings — roasted turkey, mashed potatoes and gravy, green beans, stuffing, salad, rolls, cranberry sauce and dessert.

And to help the Coalition with their modified meal serve, the Walt Disney World team is also donating hundreds of to-go containers and $20,000 collected from a very special place at Walt Disney World Resort: our fountains! Every year, thousands of guests toss coins into fountains at our Resort and make a wish, and this year the funds collected from those fountains are being given to the Coalition to help make their annual Thanksgiving meal service possible. 

As you begin your own meal planning, Chef James is sharing some of his personal favorite ingredients to spice up classic Thanksgiving dishes, inspired by the delicious food he and his team are preparing for the Coalition to serve on Thursday. Check out the graphic below for his Turkey Day Tips — we hope these add a little pixie dust to your holiday meals this year!