TAMPA, Fla. — Dozens of volunteers served about 250 homeless people today at the Trinity Cafe in Tampa. Many volunteers say they got more out of it than those who got the meal.
Before the doors opened, as the honored guests gathered outside, volunteers at Trinity Café near downtown Tampa received a crash course in serving a Thanksgiving banquet fit for a king.
There's no valet service at this venue.
Some rolled in on bikes.
Others shuffled with walkers.
Bags of blankets and other meager belongings were left just inside the door while their owners celebrated a holiday based on blessings.
“It's more than just food. This is a place where we try to offer dignity and respect to the guests,” said Trinity Café Site Manager Mark Kitchen. “For some of them, it will be the only time of the day that they’ll have the sense of security of being within four walls.”
While some volunteered for the first time, to others, it was old hat.
“I do a tradition with my family. This is our fourth time coming out,” said volunteer LaShawn Clait.
She and her son Isaiah Hargrove come every Thanksgiving before preparing their own holiday meal.
“Being able to help somebody, even if it’s just for an hour, it could be an imprint on their life and an imprint on mine,” Clait said.
“There's leaps and bounds between having a home and being homeless, having a car and not having a car, and having an ID and not having an ID. The difficulty there is extreme,” said Hargrove.
Two hurricanes and rising housing costs have increased need this year.
“We could all be one step away from being there,” Clait said.
“Just realizing that we’re all human. And that we’re all very similar. Even those that we drive by every single day. They have similar stories,” said Hargrove.
Thanks to donations and volunteers, Trinity Café will serve 364 more meals to thankful guests before next year's Thanksgiving feast.
