Your gifts will provide over 6,000 meals this Thanksgiving holiday to the hungry, homeless, and hurting in our community.

Thanksgiving brings special opportunities to show our hurting and homeless neighbors they’re loved and cared for. Through our annual Great Thanksgiving Banquet, you help the Mission nourish hungry bodies, fill empty hearts, and uplift discouraged spirits.

Food, safe shelter, and a warm bed—the necessities we take for granted—are answers to their desperate prayers. It’s hard to imagine this kind of need in our city. But look past the glitz and glamour of Broadway, and you’ll see there are hungry and homeless people in need all around us.

Because of you, there is hope for them, and it starts with a meal you provided. Friends like you allow Nashville Rescue Mission to be a place where everyone feels welcome at Thanksgiving and throughout the year.

Preparing a traditional Thanksgiving meal to feed thousands is no easy task. It requires lots of turkeys, potatoes, gravy, dressing, green beans, cranberry sauce, rolls, sweet tea, and pumpkin pie.

“So much time and effort go into preparing and serving an extra-special Thanksgiving meal,” said Rev. Glenn Cranfield, president and CEO of the Mission. “Volunteers arrive early to prep for the day. Every turkey must be carved, every potato chopped, every pie sliced.

Thoughtful steps are taken to make it an amazing day—filled with special memories for those who call the Mission their home.”

But it isn’t just about food … through each meal, you are serving hope to someone who has reached the end of their resources. You are handing them a lifeline for real-life change. That’s because each meal we serve is an opportunity to share the love of Christ with a person who may not know anyone who cares about them. Anything is possible when a man, woman, or child gives their heart to God.

Compared to a plate of nourishing food, it’s often hard to visualize how hope changes lives. But for the homeless and hurting people, you’re helping through your gifts; hope is transforming their lives in very tangible ways.

“I was hungry and came to the Mission looking for a meal,” shared Joe. “I found that and a whole lot more. They took me in, fed me, clothed me, and introduced me to a God who loves me unconditionally. I’ve graduated from their Life Recovery Program, and I’m looking forward to a new life.”

“Thanksgiving is just one day out of 365 that helps make the Mission a light in the darkness,” said Cranfield. “We want our neighbors who are experiencing homelessness to enjoy a special Thanksgiving dinner— made and served with love! But after they’ve been fed, we want them to leave with something much greater—hope for a brighter future through Jesus Christ.”

With each meal served, a guest is welcomed, loved, cared for, and encouraged. Meals, shelter, and care can change a person’s life from the inside out. But experiencing God’s love can show them that a new life is possible.

Thank you for sharing with our community’s homeless—and for making Nashville Rescue Mission a refuge of encouragement and hope for those in need. It all begins with a Thanksgiving meal you provided. Thank you for serving hope this holiday season.