The Harbor General Store gives back to community with Thanksgiving meals

As the staff at the Harbor General Store began to cook turkeys and sides for Thanksgiving take-and-go meals, a simple and spontaneous idea popped into the head of owner Stephanie Sagle.

“I just told my chef, ‘Let’s make a little extra and give them away,’” she said.

The store prepared and gave away 40 extra meals by the end of Thanksgiving Day.

The only notice was a handwritten sign on the store’s front door and a Facebook post on Nov. 25.

Staff filled a cooler with the meals on Thanksgiving morning and placed it outside the store, Sagle said, and by 6 p.m. the cooler was empty.

“There was a level of anonymity that went along with it that I think helped,” Sagle said. “If you needed (a meal) you could just come and get it.”

For general manager Jamie Cox, these meals were another way to create ties with the community and the store’s customers.

“The generation here is an older generation. If they don’t have kids (nearby) they can at least grab a meal,” Cox said. “It’s a great way to help the community.”

The Harbor General Store opened March 13 in downtown Gig Harbor, in response to a need Sagle saw for a closer grocery store for downtown residents and incoming boaters.

Sagle owns the store with her husband, Coby, and the couple’s three children are frequent visitors in the store.

“They’re learning the ins and outs of running a small business,” Sagle said with a laugh.

Since the store’s opening nine months ago, the Sagles have received a large amount of community support and enthusiasm, she said.

“The community has just totally embraced us,” Sagle said.

This story was originally published December 2, 2015 at 10:04 AM with the headline "The Harbor General Store gives back to community with Thanksgiving meals."