NORFOLK, Va. — Cars filled the parking lot at the former Military Circle Mall in Norfolk on Saturday, as more than 260 volunteers gave out Thanksgiving feasts to families in need.
The 16th-annual Turkey Trailer saw volunteers provide uncooked meals to more than 2,500 families who lined up at the giveaway site after preregistering.
The giveaway was organized by nonprofit Impact VA, a Chesapeake-based food pantry, in partnership with Boyd Gaming and the Pamunkey Indian Tribe, which are both behind the coming Norfolk Resort Casino.
Mechele Hairston is the Executive Director for Impact VA and says putting the trailer together and ensuring there was enough food and volunteers led to "many sleepless nights."
“(But) when I see it, you know, it’s all worth it. My grandmother, she used to always tell me, ‘service is the rent that you pay to dwell here on earth.’ I take that into context every single day. Like, I have to serve, so here we are," Hairston told News 3 from the busy parking lot, offered up by nearby Sentara Health.
A number of volunteers included local high school and college students.
Outside of Thanksgiving, Impact VA operates a food pantry on Mount Pleasant Road in Chesapeake and is open Tuesday through Thursday. Hairston says she also travels around the region feeding families in need.
For more information about Impact VA, click HERE.
