Three churches on the east side of Des Moines held a drive-thru Thanksgiving dinner Thursday to feed the hungry, homeless and anyone in need of a homecooked meal.
The event, sponsored by First Presbyterian Church, Sheridan Park United Methodist Church and St. Joseph Catholic Church, was held in the St. Joseph's parking lot.
Father Joe Pins, pastor at St. Joseph Catholic Church, said the hope is to feed around 400 people.
"We're here to serve the people of Des Moines," Father Pins said.
The homecooked meal included holiday staples like turkey, mashed potatoes and pumpkin bars.
However, Father Pins noted this year's Thanksgiving event will not look like their Thanksgiving events of years past.
To comply with CDC guidelines and keep everyone safe from the coronavirus, this year anyone receiving food at St. Joseph will not be able to eat it inside of the church's cafeteria.
The only options available are pick-up or delivery.
Father Pins also noted he expects to see lots of people Thursday because he knows so many are facing hard times.
"There's a great need for helping out people this time of year because they're just suffering," Father Pins said. "We have a lot of people that are unemployed because of COVID. This community always kind of struggles."
One volunteer, B. Christopher Linder, said he assisted with the Thanksgiving meal dinner because his faith calls him towards this type of work, and he believes it will it will make a positive impact on someone else's life.
"I've just always thought it was important to share, [with] the people who haven't been as lucky as I have...and share as much as possible," Linder said.
The Thanksgiving dinner drive-thru started at 11:00 a.m. and ended at 1:00 p.m.
Father Pins said a good majority of the meals are already set aside for delivery.