TALLAHASSEE, Fla. (WTXL) — Salvation Army welcomed college students for a Thanksgiving dinner in Northwest Tallahassee, addressing food insecurity and building community.
- The Salvation Army says the dinner helps meet a need in the student community.
- Lt. Omar Lugo with the Salvation Army highlighted the importance of stigma-free support.
- Watch the video below to hear students and volunteers express gratitude for an event they hope becomes annual.
BROADCAST TRANSCRIPT:
The Salvation Army welcomed college students from all over with a Thanksgiving dinner, offering a warm meal and a sense of community.
Lieutenant Omar Lugo with the Salvation Army says food insecurity in our community includes students, and their needs often go unnoticed.
"We understand that food insecurity is pretty large in general. Leon County has 50,000 people who have food insecurity," Lugo said.
Lugo, who serves as administrator and pastor for the Salvation Army of Tallahassee, says pride often prevents people from seeking help.
"There's a lot of pride out there. People don't want to say, 'I don't have any food.' So we make it easy for them. Come on in. Listen to some music. Do some fellowship, and eat until you can't eat anymore. That's what it's all about," Lugo said.
Students at Wednesday's event told me they're grateful for this act of generosity.
"This is an opportunity I've never had, an opportunity to come and have a Thanksgiving meal. I've only heard about Thanksgiving coming to the Salvation Army. Oh my God. It's such a great opportunity. Open up the doors for us to enjoy the meal with a lot of new people," said Ghazel Hussain, an FSU international student.
The founder of the FAMU food pantry, Tanya Tatum, helped serve food during this event. She says the smiling faces make all the hard work worth it.
"You know, it's a little blessing to be able to make sure that people have what they need in order to be successful in their day," Tatum said.
Organizers told me this was meant to be a family-style meal, offering a chance for students to connect with each other and build community.
The Salvation Army says they hope to make this an annual event.
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