(BIVN) – Yesterday was Thanksgiving, but the spirit of the holiday is celebrated all month long on Hawaiʻi island. 

On Tuesday, HOPE Services Hawaii welcomed 168 people experiencing homelessness to Aunty Sally’s Lū‘au Hale in Hilo for its Annual Homeless Luncheon. The day is dedicated to community, connection, and essential services for the unsheltered community in East Hawaiʻi. 

“This gives them the opportunity to come as they want, at their own will, to enjoy the meals, enjoy the people, and to come and see that they’re not alone,” said Carrie Hoʻopiʻi of HOPE Services Hawaii. 

Earlier this month, HOPE Services held a similar event at its West Hawai‘i campus.

“The goal here is to really make it feel that that like family type setting,” said Kali French of HOPE Services, “where it’s a safe place and comfortable environment to kind of just be yourselves.”

On Thanksgiving day, The Salvation Army Hawaiian & Pacific Islands Division continued the longstanding tradition of serving up a series of free public events and food distributions, including a community meal in Hilo.

The Salvation Army Hawaiian & Pacific Islands Division Hilo Temple Corps Community Thanksgiving Meal held on November 27 at Aunty Sally’s Luau Hale. The event was conducted in memory of Ed Olson, and served an estimated 550 sit-down meals and delivered 200 meals to seniors. (courtesy of The Salvation Army)

And last week, the Waimea Community Association held its annual Mahalo First Responders dinner. 

“It’s personally important to me just to make sure that we take the opportunity to thank people,” said WCA vice president Nancy Carr Smith. “We don’t always do that and it’s super important to me and to the association.” 

“We do this for the love,” said Hawaii County Fire Department Battalion Chief Bradley Young. “We do it because we gain a sense of satisfaction of being able to do these jobs here in Hawaiʻi.”