A Cleveland shelter putting the giving in Thanksgiving

CLEVELAND, Ohio (WOIO) - On Cleveland’s West side, 365 days of the year, St. Herman House handed out meals at lunch and dinner.

But on Thanksgiving, it is just a bit different.

“This is an opportunity for us to give them a little extra love today, and you know a lot of them don’t have families, and so we are their family; they come every day, and we see them every day,” said the director Kirk Ries.

Ries anticipates serving around 50 people during lunch and another roughly 80 people for dinner.

While the house offers meals daily, he says providing people a family to eat with during the holiday makes the gift of a meal and a warm dining room mean a bit more.

“And I’ve actually got about four or five guys that have reconnected with their family since being here and are gone today,” said Ries.

All the food served Thursday was donated, handed out by volunteers, and will power meals at the house Friday, too.

But as temps drop, Ries says people out over the weekend for Christmas shopping can still help those in need.

“As we know, the temperature the last few days has been cold and rainy, so any kind of gloves, hat, hooded sweatshirt; we take clothing every day,” said Ries.

He says they are in need of winter gear and take donations every day at the Franklin Boulevard location, with more contact information on the website .