SCRANTON, Pa. -- The annual Friends of the Poor dinner is a holiday tradition in Scranton. The dinner feeds hundreds of people each year.
This was the 42nd year for the dinner, which drew hundreds of people to the Scranton Cultural Center on Tuesday evening.
The doors opened up at 5 p.m. with people lining up well before then.
People filled up on turkey, stuffing, and all the other Thanksgiving trimmings you can imagine.
Friends of the Poor says this is so much more than feeding people. It's a way to bring them together.
"This is our 42nd dinner. It was started by Sister Adrian Barrett actually prior to Friends of the Poor even, her first ministry was just to go out and feed the hungry on holidays and also provide that community support in that togetherness that people don't get if they live alone. So tonight, when people come in, food is definitely a goal, but our primary goal is just to let people know that we're a community that supports one another. We love each other, and we're here for each other," said Meghan Loftus, Friends of the Poor president.
"It's beautiful to be amongst people you know at a time like this. We put my mother in a nursing home last year, and to see all the people happy and everything, it depresses me around the holidays. That's why I love to come out," said Debbie Lawrence of Throop.
Along with the sit-down dinner, everyone also received a take-home meal when they left.