PHILADELPHIA (KYW Newsradio) — Families and individuals experiencing homelessness piled into the McDonald’s along Ogontz Avenue one by one Thursday to celebrate Thanksgiving with a free breakfast and some live entertainment.
Pastor Rob Harrison stood front and center alongside Bishop Ernest Morris greeting people with smiles as they came in.
“It’s not just cool, it’s amazing,” Harrison said. “These children are sitting here. I don’t know how many times you see children sit. They’re waiting, they’re patient.”
The initiative, in partnership with Stenton Family Manor, was sparked by McDonald’s franchise owner Kenneth Youngblood’s wife, Linda, in 2004.
“She said, ‘Kenny, we need to do this.’ From that day on, it’s been my dream and her dream. She died in 2004, but the dream is still alive,” Youngblood explained.
They served nearly 40 families, including Keith and his 5-year-old daughter Nila, totaling to more than 100 people.
“It’s good to see all the kids in here and it’s good for them to see and feel the giving part of Thanksgiving.
Attendee Alexandria said it was nice not having to spend Thanksgiving day alone.
“It’s heartwarming considering I have no family to spend Thanksgiving with. It makes me feel better.”