MLK Center’s Senior Thanksgiving Luncheon hands out more than 400 meals

WILMINGTON, NC (WWAY) — While many people will gather a week from Thursday to celebrate Thanksgiving with our family and friends, one Wilmington group passed out meals to those less fortunate.

The Martin Luther King Center on 8th Street held its annual Senior Thanksgiving Luncheon, which they’ve been doing for over 20 years.

Volunteers prepared and handed out lunches, which included Thanksgiving favorites like turkey, stuffing, mac and cheese, and ham.

Mary Jones is the center’s recreation supervisor.

She said it means a lot to be able to feed so many people.

“Each year, it seems like I just get more and more excited because as the years go by, we have increased serving the number of seniors,” Jones said. “Right now, we’re serving 400. And so in the back of my mind, I’m thinking okay, what about next year? So I’m always planning ahead, to serve more, plan more, do more for the greater good.”

The center prepared and distributed more than 400 meals in just 2 hours, which is the most the event has ever handed out.