DONELSON, Tenn. (WKRN) — Donelson Café served up to 1,500 people free Thanksgiving meals on Thursday as part of its "8th Annual Thankful Thanksgiving."
Volunteers at the café lined up Thursday afternoon inside the FiftyForward ready to serve plates with all of the fixings, including turkey and stuffing, which was all made possible through donations.
As people ate, they enjoyed live music from 12 different artists throughout the day. The café was beautifully decorated and the Nashville Flower Market event provided centerpiece arrangements.
Those who were unable to spend time inside simply picked up a meal to-go from the restaurant's drive-thru.
Café owner Mark Dickerson said Thursday's event was on track to be biggest Thanksgiving they've ever hosted, which is a reflection of the need.
"There's people out there to feed, anybody that doesn't have a plate of food or a place to go, we want to extend to them a nice festive place to come and eat," Dickerson told News 2.
The day was all about community and making connections over a shared meal. The café's dining room was set up for anyone to come and sit down family-style — no reservation needed and no check at the end of the meal.
"We'll have people coming up saying, 'I've sat next to so-and-so, 'It was such a nice experience, and I loved meeting them, sharing with them.' So we have seniors from all of the fifty-forwards that have been notified to come in and eat with us, we'll have people from really everywhere coming," explained Dickerson.
Donelson Café also started the day by giving back to first responders, handing out free meals for those who are out protecting the community 24/7.