One year ago, Bruce Riley, his mother and his aunt were at a loss. It was the time of year when families large and small gather together to celebrate joy, good fortune and gratitude with a hearty Thanksgiving meal; but his family was unable to make Thanksgiving a reality.

"Some people are not able to do a lot of cooking in their old age," said Bruce. "I know it was a major struggle for my mother. There's no way we could have made it happen, and it broke my heart to think of a Thanksgiving without a family meal."

Thankfully, The Salvation Army's Thanksgiving to Go meal distribution last year was able to serve hundreds of families in the Delaware Valley who would otherwise not have the resources to enjoy the holiday.

Unlike most Thanksgiving Day feeding programs where all recipients eat together in a large community setting, The Salvation Army Thanksgiving to Go meal allows families to take their meals home and eat together at their own dining room table. Last year, more than 400 families were provided with a fully cooked turkey dinner, including real turkey, mashed potatoes, stuffing, green beans, cranberry sauce, and dinner rolls.

"We talked about that meal for a long time afterwards," said Bruce. "I'm quite sure that all the people who received those meals, every last one of them, will have positive things to say about it. You could do no better!"

"The Thanksgiving meal was a blessing to everyone who received it. It means so much to realize that someone else cares about your well-being. That's what it shows most of all, that someone is trying to help you," said Bruce. "They treated everyone with such dignity, showing care in every part of the process. You could actually feel the love, and that has more meaning than anything."

This year, The Salvation Army of Greater Philadelphia plans to provide more than 1,000 families in need with full Thanksgiving meals that they can share as a family in their own home.