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Hundreds come out for Thanksgiving dinner at Salvation Army

Posted at 12:34 PM, Nov 23, 2017
and last updated 2017-11-23 17:58:14-05

KANSAS CITY, Mo. -- Everyone in the Salvation Army dining room had an important reason to be there on Thanksgiving Day.

Some wanted to give back to the community they love. Others didn’t have anywhere else to go.

“I’m lost right now, soon I’ll be living under a bridge or in my car,” said Dbra Mitchell, who came for dinner.

“Next month I’ll be 50 years old. I’m getting a little too old to be out here in the street,” said Donnie Debarge, who came with his friend Mitchell.

Both Mitchell and Debarge have fallen on some hard times. Both have places to stay right now, but their futures are unclear.

“I don’t know about the next three or four months. I never know,” said Debarge.

Those struggles were forgotten if only for a short while as the two shared laughs and food in the Salvation Army dining room.

“Got me some juice, I’m fine! I’m ready now! I’m ready to push on now,” said Mitchell.

Many that stopped by were simply in need of a place to get a warm meal for their family.

“They give the biggest meals. They fill you up,” said Kristina Sims, who came with her two young daughters.

Along with more than 500 meals served at the Salvation Army, volunteers also delivered another 750 across Kansas City.

“The people that we take things out to, they’re not able to come in. They’re not able to do anything but say, ‘Can you send me a meal?’ So that’s what we do,” said Mark Turner, a longtime volunteer.

The organization said stretching their resources out across the metro and giving as many people as possible a reason to be thankful this holiday is what Thanksgiving is all about.

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