NASHVILLE, Tenn. (WTVF) — Thanksgiving is a day to reflect on gratitude, but for hundreds of volunteers at the Gobble Gobble Give Nashville event, it was also a day to give back.
This year, more than 500 volunteers gathered at the Nashville Palace to help deliver meals, clothing, and toiletries to those in need. Gobble Gobble Give, now in its 27th year, operates nationwide, ensuring that the homeless and hungry receive support on Thanksgiving morning.
Volunteers cooked, packed, and delivered meals across the city, an effort that organizers say wouldn’t be possible without volunteers.
“This is Michelle. We love Michelle,” organizer Faith James said, referring to Michelle Jackson-White, the general manager of the venue. “We couldn’t have done it without her.”
Volunteers packed to-go plates of food and worked together.
“It’s the biggest potluck party for Thanksgiving ever!” James added.
“Everybody brings the meal from home. We cut, serve, and deliver,” co-organizer Zack Bradley said.
Lizzy Madden, a volunteer, noted the growing turnout. “They didn’t know how many people were coming until we got here, and people kept showing up,” she said.
Coordinators relied heavily on volunteer drivers to ensure meals reached the right locations. Garrett James, an Air Force airman and event coordinator, focused on directing deliveries to ensure no one went without.
“We have Tent City like two miles down the road, Broadway. You can always feed somebody on Broadway,” he said.
He also brought friends from the Air Force to volunteer. For Garrett and his mother, Faith, giving back is a family tradition. “Now we have three airmen out there. What is it going to be next year?” Faith said.
Volunteers know their work made an impact. “I mean, we are the Volunteer State,” Garrett said.
Organizers planned to deliver 1,000 meals but ended up serving 1,700 across Nashville on Thanksgiving.
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