MACON, Ga. — A Macon life recovery program is giving back to the community this Thanksgiving.
The Rescue Mission of Middle Georgia held a Thanksgiving meal event where over 200 people in need were given to-go plates of turkey, mashed potatoes, green beans and most importantly, a scoop of love from their community.
The Rescue Mission does this four times a year during the holidays and spends weeks in advance preparing.
On Thanksgiving day, they served and delivered over 1,800 meals to those in need. They also distributed coats, blankets, and hygiene kits to the homeless downtown.
Rescue Mission CEO and President Pat Chastain talked about the impact he and his organization strive to make in his community.
"These are people that do not have a house, but definitely need a Thanksgiving meal," Chastain said. "We want to make sure they get one and we'll have about 300 people in this dining hall so we're excited about what God's doing and we're making sure that everybody has a great Thanksgiving."
Tis the season of giving! Volunteers and staff of the Rescue Mission got up early, ready to give.
Gregory Brooks has been the kitchen supervisor for nine years at the Rescue Mission.
Brooks said he's having a tough Thanksgiving after losing both of his parents, but giving back helps fill that void in his heart.
"I'm just one of the pieces of the puzzle here and it's a blessing to me to be able to do this and feed the needy," Brooks said. "Just to see the smiles on people's faces every day as they go out and eat, it warms my heart."
Gerald Fitch is the assistant coach for Central Georgia Technical College's men's basketball team. He brought some of his players to volunteer and says he finds it important to develop a sense of teamwork on and off the court.
"We're just coming to share the love," Fitch said. "The Rescue Mission does some amazing things and we're just so happy and honored to be a part of the mission. This is about giving, it's about family, it's about love, it's about sharing your love, enjoying the love and receiving the love."
Their gift keeps giving! The Rescue Mission's next event will be the Christmas Community Meal on Dec. 22.
For more information, you can go to www.RescueMissionGA.com.