Hosea Helps serves up about 1,800 meals on Thanksgiving day for those in need

ATLANTA - Hosea Helps served up hundreds of hot meals on Thanksgiving and gave away food boxes to seniors, the homeless and people who could not afford a proper holiday meal.

Volunteers were out delivering hot meals to Atlanta senior living complexes, but that is not all.

At their headquarters in southwest Atlanta, volunteer food delivery drivers criss-crossed metro-Atlanta delivering food boxes and turkeys.

"It makes me feel good to help others on Thanksgiving, that's what Thanksgiving is all about," said Joyce Gardner.

Gardner is one of dozens of volunteers taking part in the effort. It is not just a bright spot for those getting the food, but those giving it out.

"It just really makes me realize how lucky I am and how thankful I am," she said.

Hosea Helps says it served up about 1,800 people on Thanksgiving Day, from seniors to the homeless and to families in need of emergency food boxes to get a Thanksgiving feast on the table.

"We're only serving 300 families home deliveries today, not because that's the limit of our capacity, but that's the limit of the amount of turkeys and food that we have," said Awodele Omilami, CEO of Hosea Helps.

Hosea Helps says the need is greater this year than in the past, and they got more requests from middle-class families who have fallen on hard times.

"I think that the volunteers and donors that put in the effort to make this work happen saved Thanksgiving for these individuals," Omilami said.

The hot food that was sent out was made by Mercedes-Benz Stadium Banquet Chef Michael Matthews. He called it a privilege to cook the turkeys and all the trimmings for people who need it.

"I just think it's always good to give back, I mean, selflessness, right," he said. "We're always thinking about ourselves all the time, to be able to put a smile on someone else's face on Thanksgiving is good for me."

Hosea Helps says they were not able to help everyone who requested it for Thanksgiving. They are hopeful people in our community will step up to help them serve even more people for Christmas.

For information on how you can help, click here.