CLEVELAND — While countless people across the country spend Thanksgiving Day with their loved ones, many first responders spend the day working.

What You Need To Know

  • A northeast Ohio woman started an organization to give back to first responders working on Thanksgiving

  • The organization has been delivering trays of cookies to fire departments, police departments and hospitals for almost a decade

  • The group started in northeast Ohio and has now expanded to several states

This is one reason why Melanie Melaragno started her organization, ‘Grateful Giving - Backing Fire, Military, Police.’

Every Thanksgiving for the last nine years, Melaragno and other volunteers have been serving up a tray of sweet treats to various fire departments, police departments and hospitals.

“So the first year, we did about eight trays in over four cities,” Melaragno said. “This year it's looking like it will be about 155 trays in over 70 cities in Cleveland, northeast Ohio, as well as Maryland, Baltimore and D.C. and Virginia.”

Melaragno said she originally started doing this to show her daughter the importance of giving back and is shocked by how far the movement has spread.

“So it was really important to me to have my daughter say, ‘thank you for your service’, to understand the importance of gratitude to those who protect our communities,” she said. “Sometimes it’s a thankless job for them.”

This year, it’s not only the human first responders. Melaragno said even police K9s will get a treat, thanks to a local donation.

Melaragno said community support is vital for making all of this come together and several local businesses have donated to the cause.

Many of the trays are topped with notes and drawings from local school children expressing gratitude.

If you would like to get involved, you can find 'Grateful Giving - Backing Fire, Military, Police' on Facebook.

Related Stories