JACKSONVILLE, Fla. – The Sulzbacher Center celebrated its first holiday serving hungry and homeless people at two campuses Thursday.
The Downtown Campus for Men is on East Adams Street, and the new Sulzbacher Village: a Community for Women and Families is on Springfield Boulevard.
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The meal service at the downtown campus was open to anyone in the community who was hungry.
Sulzbacher said it expected to serve over 500 men, women and children a traditional Thanksgiving feast, including herb roasted turkey with gravy, smoked ham with apple and cranberry compote, garlic mashed red skin potatoes, traditional dressing, savory corn pudding, southern style collards, green beans with caramelized onions, sweet potato casserole topped with brown sugar and pecans, apple and peach cobbler, and sweet yeast rolls.
Community volunteers, including Sulzbacher board members, served the meal, decorated the dining rooms and plated the Thanksgiving lunches.
"Thanksgiving is always special at Sulzbacher, but this year it’s especially wonderful to be able to celebrate at our new campus, Sulzbacher Village," said Cindy Funkhouser, president and CEO of Sulzbacher. "The Village has been years in the making and seeing the smiling faces of the women and families that live there is especially gratifying. And, of course, we can’t forget about our men downtown. It’s truly humbling to see how thankful the men are every year for the special meal on Thanksgiving."
This special holiday meal was made possible by generous donations from community groups and individuals.
Sulzbacher provides the opportunity for homeless men, women and children to achieve a better life, the organization said.
The agency’s comprehensive services include street outreach, daily meals, emergency housing, case management support, veteran services, job placement assistance, as well as permanent supportive housing, scattered-site housing and a therapeutic early learning center.
Medical, dental and mental health care is provided on its downtown campus, at the beaches and at its pediatric health center at Sulzbacher Village, along with several school-based health clinics operated in conjunction with Wolfson Children’s Hospital.
Every day, Sulzbacher is home to more than 400 homeless members of our community -- most of whom are women and children.
For more information, visit www.sulzbacherjax.org.