BATON ROUGE - Thanksgiving meals will be distributed next week to people in the Baton Rouge community who need a hot meal ahead of the holiday.

Michael Manning of the Greater Baton Rouge Food Bank says they're partnering with the Salvation Army this year to distribute Thanksgiving meals to families in need.

"Everybody's going to be doing something," said Manning. "We'll be making sure we get that food out."

Manning says next week's Thanksgiving community dinner is a big one. Like last year, many people are still recovering.

"There's still people looking for assistance, more people than we've seen in the past, more people than we've experienced and it's still the aftermath of that flooding," he said.

It's also why volunteers are so important this time of year and all year long. Manning says people have stepped up to make a difference this year, but more volunteers are always needed to help feed as many as possible this season.

"We're hopeful we can turn the corner going into next year and not have to feed as many people next year because they're back, they're home and they're successfully making their way again," said Manning.

Until then, the Baton Rouge Food Bank and Salvation Army are making sure everyone in the community has something to eat for the holidays.

On Wednesday, November 22, Salvation Army trucks will be stationed in the Gardere neighborhood from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. Another truck will be mobile in Mall City, Zachary, and Brookstown from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. There's also a distribution drive-thru line at The Salvation Army from 4-7 p.m. at 7361 Airline Highway.

A total of 2,500 hot meals will be distributed. The plates consist of turkey, green beans, yams, rice and gravy, and a roll. Food will be available while supplies last.