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O'Fallon steakhouse employs 1,000 volunteers; serves 5,800 meals

Close to 1,000 volunteers filled their bags with traditional Thanksgiving eats.

O'FALLON, Mo. — A team effort fed thousands of people in need this Thanksgiving holiday. An O’Fallon business owner led the charge.

The Brass Rail Steakhouse has been serving Thanksgiving meals for five years now. It started with just a handful of volunteers serving about 90 meals. That number is now well into the thousands.

“You're a family of six, you're a family of four,” said Donna Clark as she handed out shopping bags to volunteers.

Close to 1,000 volunteers filled their bags with traditional Thanksgiving eats. The man behind the day of giving is the owner of Brass Rail Steakhouse, Scott Ellinger.

“We've got kids as young as four years old helping out, with mom and dad in tow, running around and just giving a pie or something like that,” explained Ellinger.

Before heading outside to the delivery vans, volunteers stopped in the kitchen to pick up the protein to be included in the meals. The pies were the last stop. Then volunteer delivery drivers were given a list of 5,8000 locations where they dropped off hot holiday meals.

“Honoring God and serving people is a very good way to enjoy the holidays,” said one volunteer, Gary Clark.

2,000 more people were seated in the dining room. A total of about 7-8,000 meals were served.

“We have the turkey and the ham, the macaroni and cheese, the mash potatoes and its great,” said Amber Hudgens, who was dining out with her daughter and parents.

“It takes quite a while to put this together,” explained Albert St. Claire, another volunteer at the restaurant. “And to do this with this many volunteers, that’s a job all in itself,” he said.

St. Claire said his holiday is most fulfilling when he is giving to others.

"There's no place we would rather be," he said.

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