SCRANTON, Pa. — The ballroom inside the Scranton Cultural Center was filled with volunteers forming an assembly line to pack up 3,500 Thanksgiving meals with all the fixings.
This is the 47th annual event organized by Friends of the Poor. There's a lot of planning and prep work to get all the meals cooked and packed for this day.
"There are so many different kitchens that cook for us—University of Scranton, Marywood, Lackawanna, and the Hilton. So, we're going and bringing food back from all of those places," said Meghan Loftus, Friends of the Poor president and CEO.
Volunteers young and old understand the importance of giving back during the holiday season as they pitch in for this event.
"I always want to be able to help out people as much as I can. So doing this is a pretty good first step towards it and be able to become a better man," said Even Tool-Reid, a Keystone College senior.
"You're helping the people that are in need of food. And that don't have family members to help them," said Lucy Talarico from Clarks Summit.
"If I'm ever in the situation that they're in, and if it ever happens to me, maybe someone will help me," Ben Talerico said.
About 1,300 meals were taken to senior high-rise apartments, and 2,200 were passed out during the drive-thru event.
Organizers say more and more people are reaching out for help as the cost of living increases. Volunteers say they keep coming back because they see how much it helps.
"So many more need meals, and it's amazing that we can hand that many out," said Keystone College senior Halley Schwartz.
Many of these same faces will be back here to help the Family to Family food basket giveaway on Wednesday.