A church in Greenbank is cooking up a free holiday meal for the public in celebration of Thanksgiving.

The meal, which will include turkey and all the fixings, will be held from noon until 4 p.m., Saturday, Nov. 21 at the big red barn at Greenbank Farm.

Volunteers with Whidbey Evangelical Free Church at Greenbank are putting on the event, which is being titled “The Celebration of Thanksgiving.”

The church held the event for the first time last year and drew nearly 250 people.

The goal is to attract at least 300 this year, said Mike Stropki, the event’s coordinator.

“It’s something we plan to make an annual event on the island,” Stropki said.

The gathering is intended to provide a meal and fellowship for Whidbey residents.

“It’s just something where we feel very blessed at the church and we had the ability to have Thanksgiving dinner and share our blessings with the community,” Stropki said.

Stropki said he hopes word gets out to senior citizens and to the homeless as well.

So far, about 25 turkeys have been purchased. The meal will consist of turkey with gravy, mashed potatoes, sweet potatoes or yams and vegetables. There will be pumpkin and apple pie for dessert and coffee, tea and lemonade to drink.

Volunteers with the church are handling the event from cooking to setup and cleanup.

“It’s basically a team effort,” Stropki said.