Atlanta outreach group serves up Christmas dinner with a side of hope

ATLANTA - Christmas is a time many of us spend with our loved ones. But many people don’t have families or even a place to call home. The nonprofit group Frontline Response celebrated the holiday with a special dinner for its residents.

This is a special Christmas for resident, Quaquela Lewis.

"I’ve been out of work for two years," she admitted.

Lewis lost her job and times grew tough.

"I was actually on the street," Lewis said. "You’re out there, and you’re struggling to exist."

She now stays at Frontline Response, and this holiday, Lewis has a roof over her head and a place to celebrate Christmas.

"It’s a blessing. It’s a time of rest. Having a place like this takes that pressure off," Lewis said.

The nonprofit rescues people from sex trafficking and helps people experiencing homelessness get back on their feet.

"This is a wonderful place," said a resident, who only wanted to be known as Alexander. "I’m just thankful this place has a wonderful program."

CEO Terry Tucker, his son Jabari and several volunteers cooked dinner and set up for dozens of people who may not have had anywhere else to go or anyone else to share Christmas.

"It’s really good to be able to not just give food, but spend that time and really commune with people," Tucker said. "There are a lot of people who get caught in circumstances that are not of their own making. A lot of them may not have any kind of dinner, let alone Christmas dinner."

Tucker says the residents are more like family and that on Christmas, the greatest gift you can give is love.

"We want to make it special, not just another meal. What we try to do is create a place where people feel like there’s some sort of joy they’ve had over the season," he said.

Learn more about Frontline Response here.