SPOKANE -- SPOKANE - Union Gospel Mission generally feeds 500 people Thanksgiving dinner and provides turkeys to 26 other ministries that feed an additional 700 people. This year, Thanksgiving is a week away and they are still several hundred turkeys away from helping out those who need them.

Union Gospel Mission relies almost exclusively on private turkey donations, but people don't seem to be doing that this year.

“I think the economy has really affected donations this year,” Union Gospel Mission cook Steven Viers said. “We really didn't get anything this year. There'll be a lot of families out there that just won't have Thanksgiving this year. There's going to be a lot of children and families that are going to suffer because of it.”

But Viers hasn't lost all hope.

“Our faith carries us through, we keep it in our prayers and hope that God gives us what we need,” he said.

Union Gospel Mission says they will have enough turkeys to do their own Thanksgiving meal, but it's the other ministries that depend on them that won't have Thanksgiving turkey.

To donate turkeys, simply drop them off at Union Gospel Mission.