DALLAS — Turkey and all the sides expected for a Thanksgiving meal were served at Scout at The Statler on Thursday. It's an annual event called Thanksgiving For Your Service.
First responders and veterans were greeted at the door and thanked for their sacrifice with a warm lunch.
Chef Jason Tilmann with Refined Hospitality Concepts loves cooking for servicemembers on the holiday. He said, "We are giving back to first responders, veterans, paramedics, police officers for all of the hard work and service that you do all year."
Army veteran Althea Williams was there with her family. She served from 2011 to 2018 in Afghanistan and Germany, where she suffered a traumatic brain injury. Williams said, "I'm thankful to be here. I am thankful, every morning, to be alive and to be able to breathe, and for my family."
Her daughter, Sierra Evans, said this meal means a lot. "There were days weren't able to do this."
Nurse Tammy Glenewinkel came to eat after two back-to-back shifts at the hospital. "This is really nice," she said.
After she ate, Glenewinkel went back to the hospital to cover another shift.
The last 20 months of the pandemic have been difficult for this frontline health care worker. "We're very thankful to come somewhere beautiful and have a really good meal, and you can kind of forget about it for a little bit," she said.
Around 300 people received a free meal at Thanksgiving For Your Service.