The true spirit of Thanksgiving was in the air Thursday morning as more than 100 volunteers prepared food, fixed to-go plates and helped out in any way possible to make the ninth annual Ranch Park Homes Thanksgiving Meal a success.

Volunteers at the Baldwin County Recreation Department fixed and delivered more than 1,100 plates to people in need, had more than 100 to-go plates picked up and expected to serve nearly 2,000 people before the day was over.

In total, there were 68 turkeys, 250 lbs of dressing, 30 gallons of gravy, 12 cases of green beans, 10 cases of cranberry sauce, 10 cases of yams, 70 cakes and pies and 12 cases of 2-liter sodas, said event co-organizer Cheri Bozeman.

Despite the overwhelming number of turkeys that were cooked for the event, event organizers had to purchase pre-cooked, sliced ham after realizing that there might not be enough turkey to go around, said Bozeman.

The event really brings about a sense of accomplishment and is so rewarding in many ways, said Bozeman.

“There are so many people that call that have such huge needs and to be a part of meeting those needs is an amazing feeling,” said Bozeman. “And most of the people we deliver to are elderly shut-ins.”

The success of this year’s event can be attributed to the overwhelming response by nearly 100 volunteers that came out to help with the event, said Bozeman.

“We’ve had more volunteers this year than ever before,” said Bozeman.

Thirteen-year-old Ryan Bresse has been volunteering with his father Rusty, one of the original organizers of the event, since the very beginning.

“It’s a great experience. I’ve been doing this since I was old enough to walk, and I’m thankful that my family is here, people are here to help us with this meal and people actually care,” said Bresse.

“We see some of the same faces, but there are lots of new faces, too. It’s grown so much,” he said.

His father, Rusty, hopes that his son will carry the tradition on when he is old enough and is thankful that the event is possible and has such an overwhelming response from the community, he said.

“There’s such a great reception here. This is what Thanksgiving is really all about,” he said, “because in the end everybody will get something out of this.”

“We would really like to thank the Baldwin County Recreation Department for letting us host the event here,” he added. “Each year, Cedric the security guard is here at 6 a.m. with a smile on his face to unlock the doors and help us out.”

With people from all walks of life — different religions, ages and backgrounds — Bresse noted that the event is really a great chance for people in the community to get to know each other.