Thousands of free Thanksgiving meals were served Thursday throughout Jefferson City.
And he was grateful for his, said Jimmy Maris, who is a resident at the Salvation Army Center of Hope.
"I will never stop praying to God, because Jefferson City has been the most amazing, kind place for me," Maris said. "I'm amazed and speechless at the amount of favor, grace and help I've gotten from this community."
Maris spoke as he stacked turkey, gravy and stuffing on a roll inside the center Thursday. He was one of scores of people at the center who ate a full holiday meal, which was offered for lunch and dinner to an anticipated 150 people.
The meal tasted really good, Tamara Downing said.
Downing, who is also a resident at the center, said she felt like she was with family Thursday.
"The last few years, being homeless, was hard," she said. "I've been looking forward to this. This was like a really good Thanksgiving for me."
Over at First Baptist Church, 301 E. Capitol Ave., about 600 people joined together for fellowship and good food. The Baptist church has offered the holiday meal for at least 27 years.
Thanksgiving dinners revolve around the turkey - most people think.
But, in some families, the gravy made from those drippings is the key ingredient to the meal, said Michael Ferguson, the head cook at First Baptist.
"You taste that and oh, boy," Ferguson said as he offered samples of the gravy during the church's annual free Thanksgiving meal. "And the turkey - careful, it's tender as a mother's love."
He prepared 32 of the "mother's love" turkeys, to be precise. Along with 15 gallons of gravy.
It was no pre-packaged gravy. It was made from a roux and fresh poultry stock - strained and thickened. Ferguson's eyes shined as he talks about the gravy.
The meal is part of the church's annual effort to feed the hungry and create fellowship among people, Rand Swanigan said.
About 120 volunteers prepared, served and cleaned up after the meal - or delivered meals within the community.
Swanigan, a church member who organizes the annual event, said a goal at the Baptist church is to simply get people together.
"We love for them to just come in and enjoy fellowship," he said.
They could also enjoy turkey, mashed potatoes, stuffing, green beans, corn and rolls, Ferguson added, and members of a church choir performed during the meal.
"Note that the green beans were very good," 17-year-old Mason White, of House Springs, said.
Three generations of Mason's family members enjoyed the traditional meal at the church. With him were his father (Rich White), his father's mother (Dolores White) and two of Mason's aunts - Joan White and Karen Distler, who volunteered to help serve dinner.
The meal is a new tradition in the family; it started last year, after Dolores White's husband died.
The family tradition had been to have the meal at grandmother's house.
"Cooking the meal was a chore, but it was nice," Dolores White said. "I would have pretty much the same thing they have here and Jell-O as a poor-man's dessert."
For the second year, Vickie Friend and her family had their Thanksgiving meal at Immaculate Conception Church. They weren't alone. The church expected to serve about 1,200 meals Thursday - between deliveries and people eating in Kertz Hall beside the church at 1206 E. McCarty St. More than 900 meals were to be delivered.
"Thanksgiving has gotten so expensive; I can't handle it anymore," Friend said. "It's a wonderful thing they're doing."
Friend said she's created a little family tradition of her own at the Thanksgiving meal service. Last year, Father Don Antweiler blessed her St. Christopher medal. This year, he blessed her daughter's. Whose he blesses next is unknown.
Friend said her medal hangs from the mirror in her car.
"This is a great ministry," Antweiler said. "We heal hungry bodies and hungry hearts."
Part of that ministry comes as volunteers take food to people in their homes, he said, because oftentimes, people can't get out of their homes.
"At their homes, people open up and it really tugs at your heart. There's a lot of woundedness and a lot of goodness (in them)," Antweiler said. "You listen. Always listen - with your heart."
When he wasn't blessing medals, Antweiler spent much of the afternoon dashing about, helping serve food in the hall.
He was one of close to 250 people who helped with the day, according to Mike Schnieders. Schnieders and his wife, Cindy, started the annual program after seeing the need in the community.
The first year, it served about 60.
This year, it cooked about as many turkeys - 50 - a record for the meal.
And volunteers have been cooking all week. As food is prepared, it is taken next door to Save-a-Lot, where the grocery store refrigerates it for the church.
Tuesday evening, Patricia Dohlman began preparing flour for dinner rolls. She went home and returned early the next morning.
At 5 a.m. Wednesday, she and her family began baking. By noon, they had 1,400 rolls for the meal.
"We cooked 2,500 pounds of food," Mike Schnieders said. "And, one container at a time, it all leaves in about two hours."
Each meal is served with a prayer card, written by children who attend the church.
Warm food and family are important on Thanksgiving, Cindy Schnieders said.
That is why, Antweiler explained, there are so many volunteers at the church.
"Be there for people," he said. "Especially at times when you emphasize family."