St. Vincent de Paul serves 4,000 meals for Thanksgiving

PHOENIX - It was a busy morning on Thanksgiving day at the St. Vincent de Paul central kitchen in Phoenix.

Dozens of  volunteers prepared a traditional turkey meal with the trimmings. Roughly 1,100 pounds of turkey were being prepared, along with gravy, cranberry sauce, mashed potatoes and pies.

The Dysart family was getting to work in the kitchen. 

Seventeen members, from all around the country, met up to lend a hand as part of a long-standing family tradition.

Jacque Eisenberg coordinated the volunteer effort. We have a family reunion every other year and volunteer as a group, she said. 

Mary Chau-Thompson, spokeswoman with St. Vincent de Paul, said they expect to see more struggling families this year.

There are homeless people and you'll also see the working poor and families living paycheck to paycheck, she said about who was expected to be in the dining room on Thanksgiving.

Nearly 200 volunteers will help serve breakfast, lunch, and dinner throughout the day.

Chau-Thomson said no additional volunteers are needed on Thanksgiving but they will need help the rest of the year.

For a list of dining room locations and times, visit the website.