Watch CBS News

Thousands Fill Light Of Life Mission For Thanksgiving Dinner

PITTSBURGH (KDKA) – Thanksgiving day at Light of Life Mission is about more than just a meal.

"I'm so happy you thought to come here," said volunteer Kate Wadsworth.

Wadsworth says volunteers also encourage a sense of family.

"What makes it more than a meal is that we are also offering a sense of community and a sense of family to people who might not be able to have food or the family," Wadsworth said. "They may be lonely on this Thanksgiving holiday, so we offer that to those in need."

Donations of coats will help ward off the chill of a Pittsburgh winter.

"We're collecting winter jackets now through Christmas, giving them away today and at our Christmas meal," she said. "New and gently used winter coats."

The County Health Department provided free flu shots and 250 new pairs of socks. The goal of the shots and socks program:

"Vaccines or immunizations across the lifespan," said Sharon Silvestri with the Allegheny County Health Department. "So we chose the homeless population to make sure that they could get what they needed this year."

The highlight, of course, was Thanksgiving dinner.

Volunteers served more than 1,000 people at Light of Life and at more than two dozen local chapters.

The mission received between 110 and 120 donated turkeys – and if you figure they average about 15 pounds apiece, that's a ton of turkey.

RELATED LINKS
More Local News

View CBS News In
CBS News App Open
Chrome Safari Continue
Be the first to know
Get browser notifications for breaking news, live events, and exclusive reporting.