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Army Of Volunteers Make Thanksgiving Possible At Mission

PITTSBURGH (KDKA) -- Here in Pittsburgh, more than 1,000 people will enjoy a hot Thanksgiving dinner, thanks to the work of volunteers at the Light Of Life Mission.

They've been working on the meals for weeks.

The Light of Life mission feeds people all year long, but they say what they're doing today is more than just any meal.

"We got the turkey, stuffing, green beans and of course pumpkin pie," Kitchen Supervisor at Light of Life, Robert Pettit said.

Pettit actually cooked 112 turkeys for this year's Thanksgiving dinner.

"We started cooking turkeys about five weeks ago," he said. "Thirty birds -- each time, put 'em in foil pans and froze them."

And feeding nearly 1,500 people takes an army of volunteers, many of whom are very happy to be giving back.

"I live a very blessed life and I really wanted to give back," volunteer Sharon Leazier said.

For some of volunteers, the Light of Life means more than just helping out.

Gregory wood says the mission actually turned his life around.

"It saved my life, saved my life – they gave me hope," Wood said. "I'm a program graduate, makes perfect sense to come back, give something back to something so freely given to me."

The light of life says these are the success stories they want to keep seeing.

"These days are really exciting, because they come in to get a meal, but we hope they have more than meal, a sense of community," Public Relations Manager Kate Wadsworth said.

Along with the annual dinner on the North Side, the mission also delivers more than 500 meals. Those meals are taken to 14 senior centers and high-rise communities in the Pittsburgh-area.

And the Light of Life mission makes breakfast and dinner for people every day of the year.

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