DALLAS — On Wednesday, Faith-based nonprofit OurCalling served Thanksgiving lunch to more than 500 people experiencing homelessness.
“We also have hundreds of volunteers here, families with their kids sitting down with seats that are filled with homeless neighbors," said CEO of OurCalling Pastor Wayne Walker.
OurCalling serves the unsheltered homeless in Dallas County all year but takes this time annually to break bread with those who don’t have a place to gather for Thanksgiving.
Heather, who volunteered with her husband Misha and daughter Abigail, shared, “It just brings people together, especially like food. Just the conversations that you can have, the community that you can create, the stories that you get to tell the things that you get to learn about each other. It's just you can't, you can't put a price tag on that.”
The tables are decorated by volunteers who had the chance to sit with families and individuals and foster the community around the Thanksgiving meal. Wendy Cowden is one of the hundreds who were served.
“It's very nice for people to come out and take time out of their day or their job or whatever it is. They did sit with us and gave us a Thanksgiving meal that we couldn't have without them. It's very nice, very lovely,” Cowden smiled.
The Food Trap, a catering and meal prep company in Dallas prepared the meal. There were also handwritten notes, reminding them that God loves them and that they matter.
"Yeah, they matter every one of them,” Heather said.
There was a donation drive as well, with OurCalling asking for new and gently used blankets, coats and sweatpants.
Walker wants our community to know that “The number one cause of homelessness is not drugs, it's not alcohol, it's not mental health. By far, it's a broken community when you don't have people in your life that care and can help support you.”
