Vancouver charity serves 2,500 Thanksgiving meals

Thanks to Union Gospel Mission, thousands of people at locations around the Lower Mainland got to enjoy a turkey dinner over the long weekend. (CTV News)

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, though, thousands of people at locations around the Lower Mainland got to enjoy a turkey dinner over the long weekend.

That includes at the location on Hastings Street.

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

The organization welcomed plenty of regulars—and also a man making a triumphant return after beating his addiction.

“I haven’t eaten here – this dinner – since 25 years ago, when I left the Downtown Eastside to sober up,” David Amm told CTV News Vancouver while eating at UGM’s location on Hastings Street. “I’ve been sober – clean and sober now – for 24-and-a-half years.”

That kind of journey is why those at the mission are still carrying that work out decades later.

“And so here we hope people are filled with the good food in their stomachs, but also the knowledge that there’s a community who cares for them and treats them like friends and family,” UGM spokesperson Sarah Chew told CTV News on Monday.

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