The Pembroke Academy Key Club’s annual Thanksgiving dinner for the elderly people in the community, scheduled for Saturday, Nov. 21 at Pembroke Academy was cancelled due to COVID-19-related concerns.

This year, as opposed to holding the meal in-person, The Key Club planned to offer a drive-through service where community members could pick up to-go containers filled with turkey, stuffing, potatoes and cranberry sauce. 

“We decided to do a drive-through so people in the community can still get and enjoy their food while being safe,” said Sophia Brasley, president of The Key Club. 

Preparation was scheduled to take six hours total, beginning the previous night and finishing the morning of the event. 

Most of the food was donated by local businesses or purchased through gift cards, said Brasley.

With the cancelation, The Key Club officers are working to plan the event for the spring instead. 

“All donations are being postponed until further notice and anything we did buy will be put to good use,” said Brasley. 

The cancellation of the dinner was due to the amount of cases COVID-19 in the PA community. 

“It’s good that we’re being cautious about the situation especially since we would be serving a high-risk group of people,” said Sydney McCullough, a member of The Key Club.