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For the ninth straight year, one community group fed people in Badin early and will host a Thanksgiving Day meal.

Love Thy Neighbor raises money for Thanksgiving meals through donations and grants, with desserts contributed by local churches.

Tracey Almond, one founder of the group, said the Badin event normally serves around 200 meals.

Members of the community, along with local elected officials and their families, recently gathered at the Isaiah Westbrook Community Center in Badin to volunteer and serve meals.

Almond said the reason the group continues to serve meals is because of “a dedicated group of volunteers. The core of the Neighbor group, the six of us, along with volunteers from Town Council, the fire department and the community…make this a well-oiled machine.”

The group’s meal originally started at the old Heart of Albemarle Motel, serving from the parking lot, Almond said.

“We do the Community Table at least once every other month. We do Grace Place / Soul Food,” she added.

Grace Place serves breakfast Monday through Friday at 7:30 a.m. and dinner Monday and Thursday  at 6 p.m. for those who are homeless and struggling, according to the group’s Facebook page.

This year’s Thanksgiving Day meal for Love Thy Neighbor will be at 4 p.m. at First Street United Methodist Church in Albemarle.