CLARKSVILLE, TN (CLARKSVILLE NOW) – Loaves and Fishes held a volunteer dinner Friday to recognize their volunteers at their new site on Crossland Avenue.

“Tonight is about saying thank you for what you do and how much you mean to us, and what you make possible. It would be impossible for us to do this ministry without you. You’re the core of it, you’re the lifeblood of it,” said Ricky Willis, executive director.

Loaves and Fishes Board Members at the Loaves and Fishes volunteer dinner on Fri., September 24 2021 (Lee Erwin).
Loaves and Fishes Board Members at the Loaves and Fishes volunteer dinner on Fri., September 24 2021 (Lee Erwin).
Loaves and Fishes Executive Director Ricky Willis speaks at the Loaves and Fishes volunteer dinner on Fri., September 24 2021 (Lee Erwin).
Volunteers enjoy a meal at the Loaves and Fishes volunteer dinner on Fri., September 24 2021 (Lee Erwin).
Loaves and Fishes Board Member Tamara Long speaks at the Loaves and Fishes volunteer dinner on Fri., September 24 2021 (Lee Erwin).
Loaves and Fishes Board Member Donna Richardson speaks at the Loaves and Fishes volunteer dinner on Fri., September 24 2021 (Lee Erwin).
Tennessee State Representative Jason Hodges presents a check to Loaves and Fishes Executive Director Ricky Willis for the cost of printing CTS bus signs at the Loaves and Fishes volunteer dinner on Fri., September 24 2021 (Lee Erwin).
Volunteers are served a meal at the Loaves and Fishes volunteer dinner on Fri., September 24 2021 (Lee Erwin).
A volunteer is served a meal at the Loaves and Fishes volunteer dinner on Fri., September 24 2021 (Lee Erwin).
Members of North Meets South and a Loaves and Fishes Board Member serve a meal at the Loaves and Fishes volunteer dinner on Fri., September 24 2021 (Lee Erwin).
Volunteers are served a meal at the Loaves and Fishes volunteer dinner on Fri., September 24 2021 (Lee Erwin).
Caterers North Meets South at the Loaves and Fishes volunteer dinner on Fri., September 24 2021 (Lee Erwin).
Loaves and Fishes Board Member Issac Wright speaks at the Loaves and Fishes volunteer dinner on Fri., September 24 2021 (Lee Erwin).
Clarksville Mayor Joe Pitts speaks at the Loaves and Fishes volunteer dinner on Fri., September 24 2021 (Lee Erwin).
Loaves and Fishes volunteers receive a cake at the Loaves and Fishes volunteer dinner on Fri., September 24 2021 (Lee Erwin).
Loaves and Fishes volunteers receive free goodie bags at the Loaves and Fishes volunteer dinner on Fri., September 24 2021 (Lee Erwin).

The meal was catered by North Meets South and served by board members.

After dinner, those attending watched a video put together by Loaves & Fishes featuring dozens of local citizens who also thanked the volunteers and who enjoy free meals and use the other services provided by Loaves and Fishes in Clarksville on a daily basis.

During the evening, state Rep. Jason Hodges, presented a check to the organization to cover the cost of making signs to go inside Clarksville Transit System buses. The signs remind those riding the bus of how to find Loaves and Fishes and get a free meal Monday-Saturday.

The annual Loaves and Fishes Louisiana Saturday Night fundraiser is set for Saturday, Oct. 16 from 4:30-7 p.m. at their 825 Crossland Ave. location. There will be both a drive-thru for meal pick-up and outdoor patio dining for a Cajun meal. Tickets are $15 per person, which includes a meal of chicken and sausage gumbo with rice, bread, coleslaw, and pralines for dessert.

Loaves and Fishes has been serving free meals to those who are hungry in Clarksville-Montgomery County for more than 35 years. To learn more, visit loavesandfishestn.org, email info@loavesandfishestn.org, or call 931-645-9020.