Albany volunteers serve dinners after Thanksgiving

ALBANY — Thanksgiving may have come a little late this year for several hundred Albany residents, many of them elderly or in difficult situations. But it came in the form of a hot nutritious meal from people who care.

For the third year straight, LaNicia Hart and Nathaniel Clark have co-chaired the Feed The Homeless event at Friendship Missionary Baptist Church, 400 Pine Ave. They call their group of volunteers Hands of Hope. This year the volunteers hoped to serve up more than 800 Thanksgiving dinners, absolutely free of charge.

“We decided this year to move it to the day after Thanksgiving,” Hart said, “Because people are still hungry and still in need. The dinners are for anyone who needs or would like a good hot meal.”

Hart said that in addition to the meals, volunteers were giving away “goodie bags” filled with shirts, soap, lotion, socks, shoes, hats, and other useful items. According to Hart, all the food and preparation is provided each year by donations and volunteer labor.

“We’re just looking for people to come out and fellowship with us, get a bag and have a meal,” Hart said.

Of course, not everyone is physically able to attend a Thanksgiving dinner — even if the food is free — so for the elderly and others of limited mobility, Hands of Hope brought Thanksgiving to them.

“I just got back from Malone Towers, going floor to floor, delivering food,” Clark said. “Some of (the residents) broke down crying when they received the plates. If they can’t come here, we can certainly go to them.”

Clark said some 100 Thanksgiving dinners were hand-delivered by around noon with more dinners to come. According to Clark, the serving continued around 2 p.m.

“It’s the right thing to do,” Clark said, “When God has blessed you to reach back and help somebody else. When we go home at the end of our day, we should ask ourselves what we’ve done to make things better for other people. I’ve given advice, I’ve shared a warm and healthy meal, I’ve lent a shoulder. If you’ve done something for someone else, that’s your reward for that day.”

Clark said the Thanksgiving dinner program serves to “build bridges” in the community, saying that people often benefit by fellowship with others.

“Many of us are going through (difficult) things, and so often we don’t share with anyone, so things can get out of control,” Clark said. “These are humanitarian bridges and spiritual bridges, bridges in our nation. It’s a win-win situation because we’re created in the image of God and we’re doing his work.”

Clark said the 2014 Feed The Homeless event was dedicated to the late H.P. Johnson Jr., pastor of Friendship Baptist, who died in July.

“Not only did he open up the building for us, but he opened up his heart as well. This was one of his his passions. We are grateful to all the clergy and business people who come together to make this a reality.”