WORCESTER, Mass. – Veterans Inc. is helping hundreds of families put food on the table this Thanksgiving. This year marks its 29^th annual Holiday Harvest.

A celebration in the Drill Hall addressed food insecurity.

“It's a chance to have some camaraderie and some spirit building," Executive Director Denis Leary said, "and really try and kick the holidays off in the right fashion.”

Veterans Inc. said as costs remain high across the board for veterans and their families, this year its Holiday Harvest on Tuesday is providing Thanksgiving meals for more than 800 families.

“It's one of the many events we have throughout the year," Leary said. "However, this is probably folks' most favorite event is a sense of trying to bring abundance to some of our veterans and their families who have fallen on hard times.”

“When a man or a woman raises their right hand and they take an oath to serve the United States, some of us know that we might have to make the ultimate sacrifice, but none of us think that we're going to come back and become homeless, or we're going to have such hard times," Presidet and CEO Vincent Perrone said. "It's going to be a struggle just to put food on the table.”

Perrone is a retired lieutenant colonel of the U.S. Air Force and said while the Holiday Harvest marks the start of a cheerful season, it also serves as a reminder of the struggles many veterans face all year.

“Over 70% of veterans today have behavioral health or substance abuse problems that are in a homeless community," Perrone said. "So Veterans Inc. stepped up. We were the first in the country to open up a behavioral health program, and we're serving veterans and their family members to try to get through this time.”

Between dozens of sponsors, hundreds of volunteers and countless donations, Leary said the event is made possible by the power of the Veterans Inc., community.

“The message to the community is, ‘Thank you community for being there for all of us, to try to support the veterans and their families who need us most.’”

Perrone said the Holiday Harvest is open to all current and former armed service members or their surviving spouses who need food for their households. This year, they’re serving more than 3,000.