SAN ANTONIO — The 46th Annual Raul Jimenez Thanksgiving Dinner is preparing to serve a record-29,000 free meals to people in San Antonio on Thursday, a surge organizers noted is partly because of financial stress following the longest government shutdown in U.S. history.

The massive community feast, held at the Henry B. Gonzalez Convention Center downtown, has been long been a tradition of comfort and fellowship.

“This is where my dad first had it in 1979,” said current president and CEO of the nonprofit, Patricia Jimenez, who is also the daughter of the event’s founder, Raul Jimenez. “A true feast of the heart. Not just a Thanksgiving meal but food for the soul.”

Over the decades, the dinner has served millions of San Antonians, offering turkey, stuffing, sides, desserts and plenty of

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