Volunteers prepare turkey dinners for 600 people

LANSING – Mixed feelings washed over Michael Hood when he looked over the crowd of people sitting down for the Thanksgiving dinner he coordinated at the Cristo Rey Community Center.

“I love seeing all these efforts bear fruit, but when I see this place filled I know people are hurting,” said Hood, the event organizer at the community center, which has hosted the dinner for more than 25 years.

Each year more and more people come to the feast, Hood said. Some people who come can’t afford to put food on the table while others have no family close by to visit, so they come together for a dinner at the center.

“Thanksgiving is the most important family holiday of the year," he said. "It also accentuates hardship. We’re here to help those in need.”

Hood estimated that 120 volunteers served more than 600 dinners throughout the day to people at the center or at their homes as they make deliveries too.

Leroy McKnight made one of the first deliveries of the day to a family down the road from the center on High Street.

“Grateful was not a word that would even come close to what they were,” McKnight said of the family, noting that they had very little. “It was enough to bring tears to an old man.”

Harry Bushard of Lansing brought his wife Cora to the dinner for the past three years. He said their children have been away for the holidays for the past few years so they’ve been coming to the center to eat.

“It’s great for people who can’t afford it so they can fill their stomachs,” he said. “And you can meet people from all cultures.”

Sue McGuire has volunteered at the center for the past two Thanksgivings since her children moved to different states. She said she’d rather spend her holiday serving other families so they don't miss out.

“It’s an amazing group of volunteers being able to serve some of the best people,” McGuire said. "That’s what it’s all about.”

Contact Alexander Alusheff at (517) 388-5973 or aalusheff@lsj.com. Follow him on Twitter @alexalusheff.