Thanksgiving

The City Rescue Mission’s New Life Inn shelter hosted a Thanksgiving feast Wednesday for Jacksonville’s homeless. Between 11:30 a.m. to 1:30 p.m., more than 1,000 people were expected to be fed.

Around 100 volunteers from all over Jacksonville worked to provide the meals. Some even cooked the turkeys over the weekend.

“We are privileged to get to serve what we call our ‘invisible neighbors’ on the street,” said City Rescue Mission Executive Director Penny Kievet. “About 120 turkeys, actually 123 to be exact, were cooked for today.”

 The City Rescue Mission is opening its doors Wednesday for a Thanksgiving feast for the homeless and less fortunate. This morning on First Coast Connect, Penny Kievet stopped by to talk to Melissa Ross.

“We have the pleasure of bringing hope and Thanksgiving to all of our neighbors on the street,” Kievet said. "We are indeed expecting about 1,000 folks.”

A new hunger-fighting initiative is about to take off.  Food distribution nonprofit Feeding Northeast Florida will kick off its first annual 500-thousand can challenge.

The group is asking members of the community to set up collection boxes at their homes and places of business between November 17 and December 17. Prizes will be awarded to the top-five businesses and individuals who gather the most canned foods.

A local Thanksgiving tradition that has attracted thousands of Jacksonville families in need over the last four years won’t happen this year, organizers say.

The shopping frenzy of Black Friday is moving into Thanksgiving Day as more retail stores open their doors on the holiday this year.

According to a National Retail Federation survey, 33 million people will  hit the stores on Turkey Day. But the creep of consumerism has some calling for a boycott.

Jacksonville Beach resident Circe Lenoble is one of the people who is staying home on Thanksgiving Day. She feels so strongly about it, she’s replaced her Facebook picture with this pledge:

1,500 needy Jacksonville families will enjoy turkey and all the fixin's this Thanksgiving, thanks to the Salvation Army.

But, unlike past years, recipients had to show they have a job and a place to live in order to qualify for the assistance.

Paul Stasi, Social Services Director for the Salvation Army of Northeast Florida, said the charity also raised the earning cap this year to 150% of the federal poverty level. For a family of four that is a little more than $35,000.

“What we want to do is focus on individuals who are considered the working poor," he said. 

As Jacksonville International Airport prepares for the busy Thanksgiving travel season, a new screening program should make it easier for some passengers to get through security.

The line began Thursday, and remained into Friday afternoon as thousands of Jacksonville residents came to a parking lot across from Everbank Field to collect free food for Thanksgiving dinner.