The Poverello House in Fresno serves about 1,200 meals a day, every single day.
On this Thanksgiving, Raquel Cisneros brought her three young boys to the Poverello House for a warm meal. She said her family has fallen on hard times.
"Even though we've been struggling back and forth, we made it and survived through an entire whole year," Cisneros said.
The Fresno area topped a 2010 list for food hardship out of the 100 largest metropolitan areas in the U.S., according to the Food Research and Action Center.
Volunteers such as Jenny Rodriguez know what that's like.
She's been volunteering at the Poverello House for the last 25 years.
Growing up as part of a migrant family in Fresno, she said she was extremely poor.
"I remember one time, I don't know who they were-- they came to my house, and they brought us a box of vegetables, and fruit, and meat. I remember in those days, they didn't have a Poverello House. I would've probably would've been here eating as well," Rodriguez said.
But the kindness of others inspired her to give back--values she has instilled in her three daughters, who volunteer with their mom, year after year.
"It reminds me how important it is to remember those like when I was a child that don't have what I have now," Rodriguez said.
More than serving meals, the Poverello House is delivering hope for those who need a helping hand.
The Poverello house is in need of donations all year long. They are accepting both non-perishable and perishable food. They hope to collect 2,500 turkeys by February to have a supply for next year.