SCRANTON -- Thanksgiving comes early to downtown Scranton for a holiday tradition that feeds hundreds of people each year.
The annual Friends of the Poor dinner has been a Thanksgiving tradition for decades in downtown Scranton. Thousands of people came to the ballroom at the Scranton Cultural Center for the dinner.
Volunteers expect to serve about 1,500 Thanksgiving meals.
It's all run by Friends of the Poor in Scranton and is open to anyone. While organizers aim to feed the hungry, their other goal is to make sure no one has a Thanksgiving meal alone this week.
After a short program, volunteers start serving all those meals which include turkey and all the necessary fixings for a Thanksgiving meal.
We talked to people who came to eat and they say this tradition on the Tuesday before Thanksgiving feels like family.
"Well, I think it's a good idea for people who don't have the money to have a Thanksgiving. We think it's a very generous thing that you guys are doing, and we feel like we can be anybody here. We can be ourselves," said Melissa Slutter.
Once this dinner is all wrapped up, many volunteers will stay, clean up, and break down tables. They need to be ready for another Thanksgiving program Wednesday called Family to Family. It will feed another 3,000 families.