Foodies Fresh Café is hosting Thanksgiving at their house this year, and the whole community is once again invited.

From 12-4 p.m. Thursday, the downtown restaurant and members of the ACTION ministry network will be serving a free traditional holiday meal for visitors. Turkey, stuffing, mashed and sweet potatoes, and more will be offered, along with the company of hundreds of others throughout the city.

“[The dinner] gives people a chance to experience community,” said Foodies’ owner Carol Heflin. “One of our goals is to make sure that no one eats alone. It’s not just about feeding people, but to eat with them, to make sure no one is alone on Thanksgiving.”

This is the fourth year that the restaurant and ministry network have teamed up to sponsor the event. The two got together after Heflin expressed her desire to do something for the community, having volunteered quite frequently in her home in Kalamazoo, she said.

“The first year we did it, we were hoping just to have enough food and volunteers to serve everyone,” she said. “We were overwhelmed with the amount of volunteers who came out, and we had more than enough food to boot.”

On average, the restaurant serves around 300-400 people every year during the dinner. Volunteers with First United Methodist Church also deliver boxed dinners to residents who cannot leave their homes throughout the day as well.

While the dinner is provided free of charge, many visitors take the opportunity to donate money for ACTION’s food pantry. After raising $900 for the pantry in 2011, the amount collected each year has grown, with over $1,200 given through the dinner last year, Heflin said.

“It’s become a big fundraising event for ACTION every year,” she said.

People are encouraged to come out to the dinner Thanksgiving afternoon, whether it’s to chow down or to help out with the festivities.

“Why cook if you don’t have to,” Heflin said. “This is all the real deal, made from scratch.”