Your trusted source for community news
For one homeless man in the Carrollton community, Thanksgiving Day means more than a hot meal. It means a memory.
"I get to get something that reminds me of home when I was little growing up, a Thanksgiving meal," he told volunteers, according to Jo Lynne Porter, who has served at the annual Thanksgiving Day Soup Kitchen for a decade.
He is one of an estimated 2,500 people who will receive a complete turkey dinner Nov. 27 at North Dallas Family Church. The annual event is part of a nearly 20-year tradition that started with a simple observation: Carrollton has a homelessness problem.
When Carolyn Benavides purchased Joe's Pizza in 2006, her son began giving leftover pizza to homeless people in the area, prompting a conversation that would eventually touch tens of thousands of lives.
"He would tell me, 'Mom, did you know there's a whole bunch of homeless men out here?' I'm like, no way. Not in Carrollton," Benavides said.
Her son suggested pooling money to buy Thanksgiving turkeys for the homeless. Benavides checked with the city and learned she could cook and serve food from her restaurant. When she reached out to Metrocrest Services for guidance, they told her they had their own people to feed.
"You need to find yours," they told her.
She did. That first Thanksgiving in 2006, Benavides prepared her mother's recipes for 250 people and served over 500. The next year, she prepared for 500 and served over 1,100. At its peak, the soup kitchen served 8,800 meals in a single day.
"Before you know it, it just turned into this huge, huge opportunity to serve our community," Benavides said.
The operation now requires approximately 7,000 volunteer hours and preparations begin five weeks before Thanksgiving, when volunteers start deboning hundreds of turkeys. Fire departments across the area store the meat in their freezers. Community members collect canned goods, aluminum pans, dish soap and other supplies. The day before Thanksgiving, volunteers hold a can-opening ceremony to prepare thousands of cans of vegetables.
On Thanksgiving morning, volunteers arrive at 6:30 a.m. at North Dallas Family Church to set up an assembly line.
"It's like a Luby's on steroids," Porter said, describing the organized chaos of volunteers preparing roasted turkey, mashed potatoes, corn, green beans, cranberry sauce and rolls. "It takes a village."
The event operates as a drive-through. Volunteers ask each vehicle how many meals they need and hand them packaged dinners. No questions asked. No proof of need required.
Christian Smith, who has volunteered for 14 years, said many recipients are visibly embarrassed.
"We just say, how many meals? And we hand them to them," Smith said. "I've had people cry. It is all walks of life. It is people from all over our community. And I don't think people realize the real need that there is."
Porter said recipients have told volunteers the meal makes them feel cared for.
"It feels like somebody cares about us," she recalled them saying. "For some of these people, it's the only hot meal they may get that week, that month."
At a time when need is growing, the soup kitchen faces a funding shortfall. This year's goal of 2,500 meals is far below the 8,800-meal peak, driven largely by decreased donations.
"The community is hurting so badly, and I know that donations have really been down from what we normally would be at this time of year," Smith said. "Part of that, I think, is just everything that's going on, the economy. People are hurting."
The soup kitchen needs frozen turkeys, canned corn, green beans, cranberry sauce, boxed stuffing, potato flakes, aluminum foil, 30-gallon trash bags, napkins, hair nets, cotton dish towels, floor cleaner, dish soap and aluminum pans with lids in full and half sizes. Monetary donations can be sent via PayPal to thejoespizza, Venmo to Joes-PizzaBeltline, or Zelle to Carolyn@joespizzasubs.com.
Food donations are being accepted Monday through Friday, 8 a.m. to 5 p.m., through Nov. 26 at North Dallas Family Church's Grace Christian Preschool Red Doors entrance.
Volunteers are also needed. Those interested can text 214-837-0569 for a sign-up link.
Porter brings her 8-year-old granddaughter to volunteer each year, teaching her the importance of helping others.
"Everybody needs help at some point in time," Porter said.
Despite the massive scale of the operation, Benavides credits faith for making it work.
"This is His kitchen, He knows what our people need in our community," Benavides said. "It's like walking on water because it's happening. You're doing it and it doesn't even impact your life because it's so beautifully orchestrated."
The Thanksgiving Day Soup Kitchen will operate from 8 a.m. to 2 p.m. Nov. 27, or until meals run out. For more information, call 972-416-6555 or visit the Thanksgiving Day Soup Kitchen Facebook page.
Local News Matters.
Want more stories like this? A premium subscription to the Branch Herald gives you a full year of access for less than the cost of one article – and every subscription helps keep our community strong. Subscribe now.
