RICHMOND, Va. -- The clock is ticking away until the Thanksgiving holiday, and while many of us are stuck at work this week watching the clock tick by slowly, a group of volunteers in Central Virginia is working away to make sure everyone has a meal for Thanksgiving.
The Giving Heart Community Thanksgiving Feast will kick off Thursday from 11 a.m. until 2 p.m. at the Richmond Convention Center on North 3rd Street.
But for the next several days, hundreds of volunteers will be preparing 500 turkeys and hundreds of pounds of mashed potatoes, stuffing, green beans and more.
"It's really exciting to be able to provide nourishment to folks who may not have had it in quite some time," explained Matt Smythe, a volunteer chef for the annual feast. "But I think most importantly, it's the community that's developed from the volunteers to the people that we do serve."
CBS 6 got a look inside the kitchen inside the convention center Tuesday, and everyone in the room shared a different story of why it’s important for them to give back.
Some of them have been a part of making this Richmond Thanksgiving tradition happen for more than a decade, including Henrico resident Patricia Clement.
This is Clement's 12th year volunteering with Giving Heart, and this year, she’s in charge of cutting turkeys, but she says she's done just about every prep job possible over the years.
Clement said she was once in need herself, so it’s important for her to make sure everyone knows they are welcome to get a meal here on Thanksgiving Day, no questions asked.
"It's made me feel blessed that I'm, you know, I'm not gonna say I don't need this meal, because at any given day, I couldn't need it," she expressed. "But just to know that people do care to take the time to volunteer, and I think it gives hope to people who are hungry to say look, there's', people who will feed us."
Right now, Giving Heart says they have all the volunteers they need for this year, but if you’d like to come out and witness the magic that happens, they would be happy to give you a meal.
Both curbside pickup and delivery will be offered on Thanksgiving Day.
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