GOOD HOPE — The 11th Annual Good Hope Community Thanksgiving Meal served up more than 1,000 meals to local residents Wednesday afternoon.

Meals were served in the Good Hope schools lunchroom, and were also offered in a drive-thru for people who wanted to take their meals back home. City employees spent the day delivering meals to some of the community’s seniors and people who were unable to leave their homes to pick up their food.

The meal is free every year thanks to local sponsors who cover the costs of the food. Businesses that sponsored the meal had meals delivered to them.

Volunteers work to feed around 1,200-1,500 people from around the area, said Good Hope Mayor Jerry Bartlett.

“It’s become probably our biggest community service event we have all year,” said Bartlett.

He said all of the city’s employees pitched in to prepare the meal, with Councilman Greg Brown working hard to lead the event’s planning effort, with community members coming out to offer a hand.

There were also a few people who came from surrounding areas like West Point and Cullman to help out.

Some of the younger residents of the city were also represented, as members of the Good Hope High School football team were joined by members of many of the high schools clubs and organizations to prepare and hand out the plates of food. A local Boy Scout troop was on hand to direct traffic in the parking lot and drive-thru, and Bartlett made sure to thank them and everyone else who helped support the city’s Thanksgiving lunch.

“It’s just an absolute, total community effort,” he said. “We’re in our 11th year and we’re just super proud of it.”