GOOD HOPE — Growing up in Cullman during the Great Depression, Paul Schwaiger, 85, made a promise to himself.

It’s a promise he intends to keep as long as he’s alive.

“I was raised up, the poorest of the poor, but I promised myself, if I ever had an extra dime, I would try to help other people,” Schwaiger said. “When I heard people talking about how they couldn’t afford to have a Thanksgiving dinner because they didn’t have money to buy meat, I went to the city and said let’s try to help these people in need.”

That was seven years ago, and since then, the Good Hope Community Thanksgiving Meal has grown from an event that fed 250 to more than 2,000 Wednesday. Each year, Schwaiger is the first to donate to fund the massive feast, and every year, except last year, he has helped fix plates loaded down with turkey and dressing, green beans, sweet potatoes, rolls and cranberry sauce.

The only thing that kept him from working in 2014 was a broken back. Otherwise, he would have donned an apron and worked elbow-to-elbow with an army of volunteers at the Good Hope High School cafeteria. He was back in action Wednesday, helping box up meals to be handed out at the drive-thru line. This year, he and his wife, Sarah, were joined by their grandson, Good Hope freshman Tyler Neal, who prepared boxes and washed dishes.

Even though the event wasn’t scheduled to start until 11 a.m., vehicles started lining up alongside the lunchroom at 9:30 a.m., prompting officials to begin handing meals out at 10:30 a.m.

“I think it’s pretty nice that they do this. It’s good to see people giving back,” said Taylor Cain who stopped by to eat with her family, including her husband, their children, her sister, her nephews and mother. “There are a lot of people who don’t get to have a Thanksgiving meal so it’s nice for people to work together to try to help those who are less fortunate.”

Jennifer Lang of Horton in Marshall County stopped by to eat with her husband, Eric Gay, her daughter, Sky Slaton, Gay’s mother, Amy Anderson of Good Hope, and another relative Lynn Vance.

“It’s truly a blessing,” Lang said. “It’s my first time to ever eat here, and I think it’s wonderful they’re doing this for the community.”

The event is funded with donations from local businesses and citizens, and the food is prepared and served by an ensemble of volunteers — city officials, Good Hope High School students, senior citizens, boy scouts and parents. Schwaiger said he’s proud to see the annual Thanksgiving meal grow over the years, and he plans to keep it going as long as he lives and help serve the dinners as long as he’s able.

Although he conceived the event and helps fund it each year, Schwaiger shrugs off any accolades for its success.

“I don’t deserve any of the praise or glory for all this,” said Schwaiger as he took a break from helping box up meals. “We’re all doing this because it’s what God wants us to. That’s what this is all about, not me.”