With Thanksgiving just one day away, one Chattanooga nonprofit says they don’t need to wait for the holiday to make sure people have a warm meal to eat.

For 75 years, the Union Gospel Mission has hosted a pre-Thanksgiving meal for the city’s unhoused population. This year, the organization served between 400 and 500 hot meals and distributed “blessing bags” filled with toiletries, undergarments, and snacks for each attendee.

“Our motto is meeting needs, making change and magnifying Christ — and we try to do that,” Executive Director Jon Rector said.

Rector says the annual meal is about more than providing food.

“We want to do something for them. We don’t ask anything of them. Just come down and have a seat. Let us bring you a good meal,” he said.

He added that many attendees could lik

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