A sense of gratitude this Thanksgiving

At NightShift Street Ministries, we love celebrating Thanksgiving Dinner and a shared sense of gratitude with friends in our outreach communities of Surrey and Langley.

NightShift’s 4th Annual Thanksgiving Dinner saw 80 friends in Langley and 140 in Surrey gather for a hot turkey dinner with all the fixings, pie for dessert, and coffee gift cards for each guest to take with them.

In Surrey, we were especially thankful to return to a celebration meal served inside, around community tables, after two long years of pandemic restrictions.

In both cities, our friends from the street shared a deep sense of thankfulness for the meal and for the sense of family at NightShift. This sense of gratitude was all the more profound as it was shared by people experiencing some of life’s most difficult circumstances – homelessness, poverty, addiction and mental illness.

Shared holiday dinners have been found to promote a sense of security, belonging and being part of something greater than ourselves. And research shows that practicing gratitude increases health, helps us deal with adversity and can build stronger relationships.

NightShift is thankful for our staff and volunteers who cooked and served the meals in both cities, and to our generous Thanksgiving sponsors, who made it possible to share this celebration meal and special gifts with 220 people!