The Norman Rockwell image of Thanksgiving -- smiling family members seated around the table, and grandma and grandpa at the head of the table with the perfectly prepared turkey -- still defines the holiday in many Americans' minds. But for others, the Thanksgiving meals of today transcend the grandparents' dining room.

A growing number of Americans choose to eat out for the holiday, and there are others who are either without the financial resources to have their own Thanksgiving meal or have no family with whom to celebrate.

Several options are available in Cape Girardeau that allow everyone to enjoy the Thanksgiving holiday.

The Salvation Army offers a Thanksgiving meal for the community from noon to 2 p.m. at its facilities at 701 Good Hope St., along with meal delivery between 10:30 a.m. and noon to the homebound in Cape Girardeau and the surrounding area.

"I think it's very important, and not only for the meal but for the fellowship," said Maj. Mary Thomas of the Salvation Army in Cape Girardeau.

"I can't imagine sitting home alone at Thanksgiving," she said.

Providing the meals, however, takes quite a bit of effort.

"We set up for at least 300 to come in and we deliver to over 100," Thomas said.

A Thanksgiving meal at the Salvation Army will include: turkey and dressing with gravy, ham, mashed potatoes, greens beans, corn, rolls, cranberry sauce, cole slaw and an assortment of pies and cakes.

The preparation starts at least two weeks ahead of time, when donated food starts coming in from individual and corporate donors such as Hutson's Fine Furniture, which held a food drive, and Schnucks, which donates food all year long. The grocery store recently donated 200 gallons of milk and numerous pies.

The 50 turkeys the Salvation Army has collected were cooked days in advance and then deboned so they will be ready to be served Thursday. The meat has been kept frozen until today, when it is thawed and will be ready to re-heat on Thanksgiving.

In addition to the turkey, the Salvation Army has collected 30 hams, 17 pans of stuffing and over 100 pies.

Other community groups volunteer their services instead of food. A Mormon youth group will help set the tables, Tipton Linen and Uniform Service is donating table cloths, and the Southeast Missouri Music Academy is providing live music.

"There's a lot of groups who help pitch in," Thomas said. "We could not do this without the volunteers."

This will be the second Thanksgiving that Thomas has worked at Cape Girardeau's Salvation Army and she said she has found the community to be very giving.

"A lot of people will just call and say, "what do you need?'" Thomas said. "We've been tremendously blessed with people who want to help."

Last year, 168 people volunteered at the Salvation Army's Thanksgiving meal and 505 meals were served.

"It does get crazy," Thomas said of working at the Salvation Army on Thanksgiving. "By 3 p.m. I'm worn out."

Even for those fortunate enough to celebrate Thanksgiving at home with family and friends, some opt to forgo the hours of preparation and the huge clean-up and eat out instead.

According to the National Restaurant Association, 11 percent of Americans had their Thanksgiving meal at a restaurant last year.

Locally, there are some restaurants offering special Thanksgiving meals.

In Commerce, Mo., the Fermentation Room Cafe at River Ridge Winery will be open from 11 a.m. to 6 p.m. Thursday. While the cafe does not take reservations, said winery co-owner Joannie Smith, it has already received calls from people who intend to come.

The cafe's Thanksgiving menu strays from the standard turkey and dressing and instead offers pork tenderloin with blackberry sauce, rosemary o'gratin potatoes and Caesar salad.

Cedar Street at the Drury Lodge, 104 S. Vantage Drive, is offering a special buffet from 11 a.m. to 3 p.m. in the lodge's Mississippi Room with numerous items.

Also offering a Thanksgiving buffet from 10:30 a.m. to 7:30 p.m. is Ryan's, 130 Vantage Drive.

"The line's usually out the door when we open," said assistant manager Karin Foster.

The Cracker Barrel, 3261 William St., will be open from 6 a.m. to 10 p.m. Thursday and will offer a Thanksgiving dinner.

"It's one of our busiest days," said general manager Wes Jones.

While it should not prevent people from traveling, the weather on Thanksgiving will be colder than this area has experienced so far this fall. According to the National Weather Service in Paducah, Ky., the weather forecast for the Cape Girardeau area Thursday calls for partly cloudy skies with a high near 45 degrees.

kalfisi@semissourian.com

335-6611, extension 182