Houston area baseball league gives Thanksgiving dinners

SPRING (KTRK) -- A team of 40 volunteers in Northwest Harris County packed up 640 meals on Saturday to ensure those in need have a Thanksgiving.

"There's a lot of pride in Thanksgiving. Now with our kit all they have to do is put it in their oven for 45 minutes," said Shawn Taher.

Taher works for a restaurant group in Minnesota. He donated all the food and his chefs cooked it up.

Taher started the feast years ago and states away when he meet a family in need at the hospital.

His mother-in-law was in the ICU. He met another family in the waiting room who was also there for their family member in the ICU. It was a meeting that forever changed his life.

"When you see the family they are literally living in the ICU because they don't have money to get out of the parking ramp," said Taher.

After seeing a family living in grave poverty, Tahler immediately started giving back and formed the organization Pay it Forward Thanksgiving. His company provides all the food and fixings for a Thanksgiving meal. It started out small and has grown to 27,000 meals in four states. For the first time, Pay It Forward Thanksgiving made a visit to the SpringSpirit Community Center in northwest Harris County. He provides the food and volunteers help pack it up. SpringSpirit Community Center is part of a non-profit, SpringSpirit Baseball that helps a lot of families in need. While the families that use the facility are in need, they're also giving back.

"We all are in need in a way but I guess I could say I'm blessed to have a little bit more than what others have but I would rather me give than take for myself," said 15-year-old Jocelyn Hernandez.

They will pass out the meals they packed up on Tuesday.