MIDLAND, Texas — Not everyone has the luxury of sitting down at the table and having a proper Thanksgiving feast.
Thankfully for them, the community has their backs, as the Midland Soup Kitchen Ministry held their 38th annual Thanksgiving Community Feast Wednesday.
Over 100 volunteers put in the work to make sure families got a Thanksgiving meal.
“It's really important to give back. I love Thanksgiving, I love it, it's the year of giving, same as Christmas," Bou Cartmell said. "It's just the best time.”
Many hours of hard work went into getting the feast ready. Nearly 40 turkeys were deboned and cooked while stuffing was made from scratch with a secret family recipe.
Those who attended the feast were greeted with warm smiles along with a warm plate of food, which came with Cajun-style turkey, vegetables, mashed potatoes, stuffing and more.
“It's very important to us to see the amount of people that come out and spend this holiday with us. The Thanksgiving holiday is all about that family gathering and that family community," Nathen Ivy said. "For us to give that to some people who might not usually see that on a day like this, is just a really big blessing that we're able to not only give them something for their bellies, but give them something for their souls and for their emotions."
Everyone who volunteered came out by choice to lend a helping hand, and each one was able to witness a family make memories that will last a lifetime.
“To see all the children smiling, to see all of the adults smiling, to see the adults almost have a sense of relief that their children got a Thanksgiving meal this year, it’s something that we like to take on," Ivy said. "To make sure that people are going to have those holiday memories that they might not get any other place else."