Frank Veltri Annual Thanksgiving Dinner

For over 40 years, the Veltri Thanksgiving Dinner for the Homeless and Shut-Ins has helped bring a warm meal to those less fortunate on Thanksgiving Day at First Baptist Church in downtown Charleston.  It is coordinated by the Kanawha Valley Collective and its member agencies.

The tradition was started by late Charleston resident Frank Veltri and those keeping the magic alive say it's not only a gift to the hungry, but to the volunteers as well. 

"It makes me feel good to help somebody get a holiday meal.  There are a lot of people out of work and who are homeless.  They just have no where to go and it gives me a wonderful feeling that I can do that for them every year," says Dinner Coordinator, Judy Snyder.

In all, the group delivers more than 1,200 turkey dinners to shut-ins with 200 people attending in person.