Nearly 800 dinners served during 13th annual free Thanksgiving dinner at Luigi's Pizzeria

BOONVILLE- In 2010, Luigi's Pizzeria served 144 dinners for their first Thanksgiving Day dinner for the community.

"We were really, really happy with that," owner Pat Lindsey told us. The original intent was to, on behalf of Pat and his family, provide a place for those who may be without any nearby friends or family during the holidays to share Thanksgiving with one another.

The meals during the first year were free and have remained that way ever since. 

The next year, the numbers nearly doubled, with 288 dinners served. The numbers increased the year after that and have yet to show any signs of slowing down, even through this year's Thanksgiving.

With over 600 dinners served last-year, Lindsey told us how he figured the numbers for this-year would increase some. That's exactly what happened and then some.

"791... 791 dinners this year. Once we started, it didn't stop. It just kept going," Lindsey explained. 

"I just truly hope that we were able to bless a lot of people."

If all goes well, Pat says he and the gang at Luigi's are looking forward to the 14th annual free Thanksgiving Day dinner for the community in 2024.

Be sure to listen to our latest on-air coverage from Wednesday, November 29:

Luigi's Pizzeria images by Brian Trainor.