Hungry people began lining up at Eva’s Village in Paterson on Thursday at 9 a.m., three hours before the first turkey was wheeled out of the oven, reports northjersey.com.

Thanksgiving was about survival as opposed to celebration for many of the 250 people who came to the soup kitchen. That one free meal really does a lot for many poor people.

Eva’s served 135,314 hot lunches last year, an increase of 20 percent since 2007. And with demand rising, Eva’s recently received $700,000 in government funds to expand its kitchen to provide seating for up to 400 people.

With unemployment in Paterson hovering around 15 percent, Eva’s is serving more able-bodied people than ever before.

Thanksgiving dinner was cooked up by Eva’s volunteers and served by three members of New Jersey’s congressional delegation.

The people are addressed as his “brothers and sisters” and encouraged to pay close attention to their health. They are told them to visit clinics regularly instead of relying on the hospital emergency room for their primary care.

These people have fallen largely due to the economic times. People are losing jobs and unable to find others. It makes me so sad to think that so many individuals in North Jersey didn’t have a home to go to for dinner. Thank goodness for great places like Eva’s to keep the less fortunate off the streets on holidays and provide them with a warm, home-cooked meal.

-Orly