On Thanksgiving, Gladys and Cleave Smith chose to sing, not despair.
The couple became homeless last week after they couldn’t scrape up money for the hotel room where they’ve been living since June. But they held hands and sang as they left a free holiday meal shared with thousands of other needy Atlantans at the Georgia World Congress Center.
They’re staying with a friend and looking for jobs and a permanent place to call home.
Despite the struggle, the two found much to be thankful for Thursday, including the hot dinner served up by the Atlanta-based nonprofit organization Hosea Helps.
“We’re going to get back on our feet. We’re not going to be in this situation ever again,” said Gladys, 54. “You’ve got to make your own joy.”
Her husband, 52, quickly added: “You’ve got to keep your spirit up.”
Hosea Helps planned to serve 7,000 to 8,000 people, including delivering thousands of meals to those who couldn’t get to the Congress Center for the sit-down dinner.
Some attend the holiday meals year after year. Others, such as the Smiths, are newcomers who accepted the help when they needed it most.
“It was kind of hard for my husband because he’s got so much pride, but it wasn’t hard for me because I can’t stand being in the cold,” Gladys said.
The organization previously known as Hosea Feed the Hungry and Homeless was founded more than four decades ago by the late civil rights leader Hosea Williams. His daughter, Elisabeth Omilami, now runs it.
The nonprofit lost its own home this year after it could no longer afford the rising rent at its longtime headquarters in Atlanta’s West End. In September, Hosea Helps moved to a temporary site on Wendell Drive in southwest Atlanta and is raising money to move into a new place by February or March.
But officials wanted to make sure they continue to meet people’s needs while the charity is in transition.
“We spend about 30 percent of our time driving through the community, locating pockets of poverty,” said Omilami, as a room full of people dug into their dinners.
Volunteers prepared the food at the DeKalb County Jail on Wednesday and hundreds more served guests Thursday. Atlanta mayoral candidates Keisha Lance Bottoms and Mary Norwood both briefly addressed the crowd, and donned white serving aprons to prepare and pass out meals.
Melissa Howard, 42, brought her 11- and 15-year-old children to the dinner, where they waited for servers to bring meals to their round table in the back of the room. Howard said she’s diabetic, so she also appreciated the health screenings offered at the event.
She’s made a point to have her children help others in need.
“I just want them to not be here taking, but also feel the importance of volunteering and knowing that there’s a lot of people that are in worse situations than we are. We have a place to go lay our head,” she said.
For volunteers, the day was a chance to give back, fulfill a New Year’s resolution, or spend time with family. Lateshia Lane and her sister and daughter are all hair stylists, and they spent the morning side-by-side doing ladies’ hair.
Lane woke up at 4 a.m. to cook her family’s holiday meal so that she could be volunteering by 9 a.m. When she returned home, all she had to do was pop the desserts in the oven.
“I start my Thanksgiving off giving back, and it’s so rewarding. This is more than the money I make or the collard greens I’m going to eat. This is better than that,” she said.
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