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Those driving down East 10th Street on Thursday should look out for the Jackson Services tent, which will house a West Point Thanksgiving Day tradition. West Point Mayor Steve Tramell will be hosting the eighth annual community Thanksgiving Dinner on Thursday morning. 

From 10 to 11:30 a.m. ET, Tramell and a group of local restaurant owners will be serving meals to anyone in the community who needs a warm meal. 

Tramell said they will be passing out 125 plates to community members this year. Plates will be handed out at the corner of East 10th Street and MLK Jr Drive where it is always held. 

“When we started this, there really wasn’t anywhere in the area to get a Thanksgiving meal,” Tramell said. Since then, many local churches and organizations have begun to offer meals as well but in 2016, this was the only one in town. “And we just didn’t want anybody to go hungry on Thanksgiving.”

In the first year, Tramell said they passed out 350 plates to people in the community. Over the years, the need seems to have decreased so they only make 125 meals now. 

Tramell said he hopes to be able to reach all of West Point’s housebound population and senior folks so he encouraged people to come out for their family and neighbors as well. 

Many local businesses, restaurants and organizations will be donating a dish to the Thanksgiving dinner including the Chattahoochee Fuller Center, Chic Delite, Pokey’s, Johnny’s Pizza and Roger’s Barbecue. 

Each year, a dish or food item is cooked and donated from a different business. 

Others who will be donating time and efforts are The Bobers, The Gladdens, Capital City Bank and MW Lee Mortuary.