For people dealing with an illness this Thanksiving, preparing a meal or even traveling to have one is nearly impossible.

Continue reading

That's where volunteers from Food and Friends come in.

An assembly line of volunteers spent Thanksgiving assembling thousands of turkey dinners for those most in need.

The traditional meal, with all the trimmings, will be delivered by volunteers to more than 3,000 people living with life-challenging ailments.

"If you don't have your health, everything else falls by the wayside," volunteer Rene Ralston says. "I'm very healthy, and I'm very thankful for that."

This year, Food and Friends is serving an additional 200,000 meals, especially since a tough economy means a greater than anticipated need for help.

"I feel like it's a blessing from Heaven," says Northeast D.C. resident Paul Hill, who suffers from colon cancer. "Life has been hard. It makes me feel so great that someone cares."