Povorello House serves warm Thanksgiving lunches to hundreds
Over 1,800 meals were also delivered by the Poverello House to local shelters and families in need.
FRESNO, Calif. (KFSN) -- On this cold Thanksgiving, hundreds of people gave thanks for the warm holiday meal provided by the Poverello House.
The set-up looked a little different this year as several steps were taken to ensure the safety of guests and servers.
Soothing sounds set the tone at the lunch for the homeless in downtown Fresno.
The meals were moved outdoors because of capacity limits on indoor dining due to rising COVID-19 rates in the valley.
"It's just a more elevated experience in the midst of COVID but even something better than what we've done in years past," said Povorello House CEO Zach Darrah.
Heaters were in place to keep people warm.
Darrah said the pandemic has resulted in many people needing food assistance for the very first time.
"I'm really excited to see our guests just have a moment of Thanksgiving where they can feel their value and worth and feel the love we have for them," he said.
About a hundred volunteers helped serve the turkey, tri-tip, ham and side dishes.
The newly formed Fresno Fire basketball team sent over some players to help out and let folks know their season tips off in March.
"We got involved because it's really more than basketball. It's like giving back to the community. Helping people that need help," said Fresno Fire Guard Brian King.
Over 300 people enjoyed their meal on site.
Instead of serving everyone at once, two separate meal times were set aside to allow for smaller groups.
After the first meal, everything was wiped down and sanitized to prepare for the second group.
Over 1,800 meals were also delivered by the Poverello House to local shelters and families in need on Thursday.
