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Salvation Army gets new technology, feeds 20,000 people on Thanksgiving

CENTRAL FLORIDA — Thousands of Orlando residents enjoyed a hot Thanksgiving meal thanks to a team of more than 1,000 volunteers.

The Salvation Army served about 20,000 meals Thursday.

Preparation for the meal started on Wednesday with volunteers helping to pull the annual Helpings From the Heart Thanksgiving Feast together.

THANKSGIVING COVERAGE YOU CAN COUNT ON:

The Salvation Army handed out about 6,000 pounds of turkey.

READ: Thanksgiving 2018: Best ways to show gratitude

Volunteers were hard at work Wednesday unpacking ham and turkey for the feast.

The Salvation Army partnered with Golden Corral to host the annual dinner.

“We're proud that we can give back to the community in this scale. I'm most proud of the thousand-plus volunteers that come together to help us out here,” said Eric Holm, with Golden Corral.

This year, the Salvation Army is also offering another way for people to help out others in need.

Starting Friday, bell ringers for the Salvation Army will be out in force. Some will have a new piece of technology: Credit card scanners for you to donate by card.

The addition comes at a time when fewer people carry cash and coins.

THANKSGIVING COVERAGE YOU CAN COUNT ON: