No one in the Westbrook-Gorham area needs to be hungry or forgotten on Thanksgiving Day next week.

Mister Bagel, 13 New Portland Road in downtown Gorham, and the Stockhouse Restaurant & Sports Pub, 506 Main St. in Westbrook, will both host free Thanksgiving Day meals featuring turkey and all the trimmings, and an invitation is open to the community.

This year marks the sixth annual Thanksgiving meal at Mister Bagel, and the first ever for the Stockhouse.

Organizer Roxanne Moody said Mister Bagel volunteers served 65 meals a year ago and she expects an increase for this year’s feast.

“We’re cooking Thanksgiving anyway. Why not share it?” Moody said. “We have a lot of fun.”

Private individuals sponsor the event, and Moody’s daughter, Heather Moody, who owns and operates the restaurant, donates use of it for Thanksgiving. The meal will be served from noon-1:30 p.m. on Thursday, Nov. 26.

The meal is free, but reservations are required by calling Roxanne Moody at 839-4516. Transportation is available on request.

She has 30 volunteers ready for action, who will deliver Thanksgiving Day meals to those unable to attend within a 20-mile radius that includes South Portland and Windham.

“It’s wonderful that people have been supportive and willing to give time,” she said, praising the volunteer staff.

Moody said Meals on Wheels drivers delivered flyers advertising Thanksgiving at Mister Bagel and her phone has been ringing steadily.

“People have been calling for a few weeks,” she said.

She said her husband, Thad Moody, vice president of operations at Moody’s Collision Centers, will be the chef.

“Thad cooks the turkeys and stuffing,” she said.

Roxanne Moody already has bought 100 pounds of turkey without knowing this week how many to expect for the dinner. She described the meal as “full blown, everything homemade, all the fixings.”

Heather Moody said she’d handle whatever duties her mother gives her – prepping or serving. She said those attending past Thanksgivings have been appreciative.

“The people are happy, very thankful.” Heather Moody said. “My mom does a great job putting it all together.”

While the meal is free, donations for the Gorham Ecumenical Food Pantry will be accepted. Last year, the meal generated $632 for the pantry and the leftover food was delivered that afternoon to the Preble Street Resource Center in Portland.

The first Thanksgiving at Mister Bagel was held in 2010 and the number served has grown steadily.

“It’s tripled,” Roxanne Moody said.

In Westbrook, for the first time, Stockhouse Restaurant & Sports Pub will host a free Thanksgiving dinner next week from 11:30 a.m.-2:30 p.m., serving up the traditional holiday fare such as turkey, mashed potatoes, gravy and stuffing.

Owner Dan Drouin said this week that the meal is something he and fellow staff members have been discussing for some time.

“We realized there’s just not a lot of places doing that anymore,” Drouin said about free holiday dinners.

For the meal, Drouin and company are getting a lot of help from local food vendors (including vendors that do business with Stockhouse), who are chipping in free food for the meal.

The majority of the donated food is coming from Native Maine Produce and Dennis Paper & Food Service, but other items are also coming in from Sysco, Nappi Distributors and Pepsi.

“We’ve had a bunch of people reach out and say, ‘What can we do?’” he said. “We’ve received a lot of support.” Native Maine is donating potatoes and veggies, while Dennis Paper & Food Service is supplying most of the turkeys.

Drouin said they plan to cook “all they have,” and serve until 2:30 p.m. or until it’s gone.

If there’s food left over, Drouin said, it will be wrapped and brought to My Place Teen Center.

Drouin said now that the food is lined up, he’s been trying to get the word out. He’s reached out to the Westbrook Community Center and the Westbrook School Department

“It’s our first year, but we’re going to see how it goes, and hopefully it’ll grow,” he said. “We have no idea what to expect, but we hope to continue it every year.”

Drouin, a Gorham resident, opened the restaurant in 2005.

Also in Westsbrook, at My Place Teen Center, the organization’s weekly community meal will take place Wednesday, Nov. 25, the day before Thanksgiving. Last year, the group made sure the meal had a Thanksgiving theme. The meal takes place at 5 p.m.

Organized by Roxanne Moody, a free Thanksgiving meal will be prepared and served by volunteers at noon on Thursday, Nov. 26, at Mister Bagel in Gorham. From left are volunteers Julie Sabasteanski, Roxanne Moody, and her daughter, Heather Moody, who owns the restaurant. Staff photo by Robert Lowell