MISSOULA — Serving the community and hosting a dinner for 200 people is no small feat. Thanks to dozens of volunteers, Thanksgiving was a celebration at the Poverello Center and the Johnson Street Emergency Shelter.

Staff and volunteers from both locations served a full Thanksgiving meal Thursday, feeding hundreds of people who might not have been able to celebrate otherwise.

Hosting a holiday dinner for hundreds of people requires a lot of help and a lot of food. Fortunately, there was plenty of both to do. Thanks to those who donated their time and food, meals were provided to all who showed up.

“Our chef and a team of volunteers cooked for four or five days to get everything ready,” said Stephanie Dolan, director of development at the Poverello Center.

Describing it as a hearty holiday meal doesn’t even cover it. They prepared 65 turkeys, 500 pounds of potatoes and all the trimmings, including stuffing and green beans.

They ate as many pumpkin pies as there were community members who came to help.

“About 50 pies and over 50 volunteers helped get this project off the ground,” Dolan said.

The annual event is so popular among volunteers that there is a surplus of people offering to come cook, clean and connect.

This is the second year that Slaven Lee, executive director of the Missoula Public Library, has participated in the celebration.

“It’s really important to me to help,” Lee said. “Help the Pov. Be here at Johnson Street and also help the community members I see regularly at the library. It was really great to be able to greet people and try to bring some warmth to them today .

The atmosphere was full of Thanksgiving smells and well wishes.

“It’s something really special,” Dolan said. “It’s obviously very difficult for people during the holidays. So we just want to make sure that people feel seen, loved, supported and cared for.”

Dolan said the event is a good reminder that the holiday spirit goes beyond Thanksgiving.

“The Pov always needs lots and lots of things,” she said, citing warm clothing, winter supplies and toiletries as top priorities this time of year.

“If you’re in the mood to give, ’tis the season of giving,” Dolan said.