Hundreds fed at Campus Church Thanksgiving dinner

GWINNETT COUNTY, Ga. — Dozens of volunteers served hundreds of families Thursday at the Campus Church annual Thanksgiving dinner in Gwinnett County.

Organizers told Channel 2's Kerry Kavanaugh it started as a dinner for a few hundred people.

Now, 10 years later the Campus Church Thanksgiving dinner is a tradition that serves more than 1,000 people.

"There's just a great need," director Carolyn Maddox said.

Maddox and other volunteers started the tradition after hearing about the need from a Gwinnett County social worker.

"Approximately 1,800 to 2,000 children up and down Jimmy Carter, Indian Trail, Beaver Ruin, Pleasant Hill were homeless. A lot of them in the Extended Stay hotels," Maddox said.

She told Kavanaugh she now has an army of volunteers that greet and serve those families.

"You see the people around you that aren't as fortunate as you are and it makes you want to continue to do good," one volunteer said.

The only rule for the dinner: You must come with a smile.

"I think it's wonderful because you never know the need that person has," guest Julia Lopez said.

Campus Church served 1,400 meals here last year and sent another 300 home. Organizers said they will continue serving food until it is all gone.

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WSBTV