While many people are spending Thanksgiving visiting friends and family or hosting in their own homes, others have nowhere to go.

That’s where the Santa Barbara Rescue Mission comes in.

For nearly 60 years, the Santa Barbara Rescue Mission has hosted a free Thanksgiving feast the day before the holiday, allowing homeless guests to come inside, sit down, talk to people and have a real meal. 

Truth Hardeman said it was the first real Thanksgiving she’s had since about 2015. 

“It’s been awhile since I’ve been able to say happy and Thanksgiving at the same time,” Hardeman said. “For the first time in quite awhile, I’m able to use the two words together and mean it. It’s not just Thanksgiving. It’s happy Thanksgiving, too.”

Hardeman has been staying at the Rescue Mission for the past month and a half. She said her favorite part of the feast was being able to meet new people. 

“The fact that we’re able to enjoy this meal together and get to see each other’s faces and see how grateful that people are for the fact that they’re eating a meal amongst people they know and don’t know, but they’re getting to know, that means the world,” Hardeman said.

Each year, two dozen volunteers show up to help serve the hundreds of guests who come in for a meal. The turkey is donated by the community, and the rest of the food is paid for through donations.

Dr. Kirk Gilbert and his wife have been volunteering at the Thanksgiving feast for the past six years.

“This has become our annual tradition for Thanksgiving — to come down and help here on Wednesdays,” Gilbert said. “We just enjoy coming down and serving the guests here, and as it slows down, we get to visit with them as well.”

Gilbert said he enjoys spending the holiday season giving back, because at the end of the day, that’s what this time of year is really about. 

“You can just hear there’s a lot of excitement and fellowship and community building here,” Gilbert said. “It’s just a wonderful, warm feeling — a great way to start the holiday season off.”

Rolf Geyling, president of the Santa Barbara Rescue Mission, said the holidays can be a difficult time, and the feast is about trying to make it a little easier for people. 

“We are all about extending grace to people in difficult times,” Geyling said. “Whether people are on the street or whether they’re just having problems making ends meet, it’s especially challenging during the holidays, because you’re reminded by what you don’t have. This is just the church community coming around people who are in need and caring for them and extending grace.”

Geyling said the goal is to help people move out of homelessness and that they hope the meal can be that first step.

“Our hope is that there are people here who will start the road of transformation because they were cared for during the holidays,” Geyling said. 

The Rescue Mission provides meals to homeless residents every day of the year, but usually in a grab-and-go capacity. The Thanksgiving feast allows folks to sit down, be served and stay for as long as they want. 

“One thing we love about the holidays is we get to sit at the table for as long as you want and keep eating food until you’re full,” Geyling said. “That’s what we want our guests to experience, is just sitting and just being able to eat all they want. There’s no rush. They can stay the full two hours if they want.”