In the second-floor banquet room reserved for families, Rachel Sutherland bounced her daughter, Alaya, on her lap and waited in hungry anticipation.

The Victoria mother of two and her partner, Rupert Jeffrey, said they have been coming to the Thanksgiving Day Dinner hosted by Dodd's Furniture for the last five or six years. As much as they enjoy the heaping plates of food, it's the chance to share the meal with others that makes it so special.

"I mostly do this because it gets lonely on holidays," Sutherland said. She's a long way from the rest of her family in the Yukon.

For Jeffrey, the primary cook in their home, it's a chance to take the night off and not have to do the dishes.

Whatever the reason --be it company, community or a home-cooked meal -- hundreds of people poured into Our Place yesterday for the annual dinner, now in its 11th year.

Gordy Dodd, the man behind the feast, said 700 meal tickets were handed out, but the kitchen was stocked with enough food to feed 850 people.

"We're not turning anyone away," he said.

Dodd said the food order included 200 turkeys, 200 pumpkin pies and too many potatoes to count.

His reason for doing it is simple.

"I want to give back to the community," he said.

Dodd, Victoria Mayor Dean Fortin and close to 50 other volunteers donned blue latex gloves to serve guests at the sit-down dinner with heaping platefuls of turkey, gravy, mashed potatoes, corn and peas.

Fortin commended Dodd for his initiative and said the meal is a chance to put others first.

"It's important that we recognize there are those who are less fortunate than us in the community," he said.

Our Place's Rev. Al Tysick shepherded people in and out of the cafeteria area, while outside the lineup stretched down Pandora Street west to Quadra Street.

"Everyone's got such a good spirit about them," he said.