EAST CLEVELAND, Ohio — Before the doors opened Thursday morning at the Salvation Army in East Cleveland , a line of people stretched across the parking lot, waiting for an early Thanksgiving meal. But for many who walked through those doors, this wasn't just about turkey and mashed potatoes.

It was about coming home.

"People are just excited for the opportunity every single year to get a chance to hang out with each other, sitting around the table and enjoy a warm and prepared meal," said Captain Travis Barton, the commanding corps officer who has led the location for two years.

The annual Thanksgiving Community Meal, which began in 2017 when the building opened, served more than 200 people on Thursday. But the stories unfolding inside the dining room revealed something deeper than h

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