BATON ROUGE – For most of us Thanksgiving is about spending time with family and friends. But some trade the comforts of their kitchen to give back to those without. This has become a tradition at St. Vincent de Paul.

For two and a half hours, people without a home or steady income were able to dig in on a free Thanksgiving meal. Afterwards free items including clothes, hygiene products and non-perishables were set out, free for the taking.

“It’s much needed,” said George Jarrett, who has come to the event for years. “Definitely. I was falsely incarcerated for 15 years, but that’s okay God sent me there to win souls and I love it.”

Jarrett was one of at least 600 people who received a free meal.

“They leave away from here with something that they can have so that they don't have to go through garbage cans,” said Brandon Myles who has been a volunteer for 10 years. “Seeing people come out and realize that people care about them really does a lot for me. I think it does a lot for them too. Or, at least I hope it does.”

The annual event highlights, not only the needs, but the giving, in the Capital Region. Organizers say every year the response seems to grow.