Union Gospel Mission serves 2,500 Thanksgiving meals

Thanksgiving weekend is a time for many of us to connect with family, but for those less fortunate, it can be a difficult time of year.

Thanks to the Union Gospel Mission, however, thousands of people in Lower Mainland locations were able to enjoy a turkey dinner over the long weekend.

This includes the Hastings Street location.

In all, the organization served 22,000 pounds of turkey to grateful people struggling with homelessness, addiction and poverty.

The organization welcomed many regulars, as well as a man who made a triumphant return after beating his addiction.

“I haven’t had lunch here, this dinner, in 25 years, when I left the Downtown Eastside to get sober,” David Amm told CTV News Vancouver while eating at the UGM location on Hastings Street. “I’ve been sober, clean and sober now, for 24 and a half years.”

This kind of journey is why those at the mission are still doing this work decades later.

“And here we hope that people will fill their bellies with good food, but also the knowledge that there is a community that cares for them and treats them as friends and family,” UGM spokeswoman said Monday, Sarah Chew, at CTV News.

Beyond providing meals for those in need, UGM also provides shelter and recovery support, and relies entirely on donations for its operations.