BATON ROUGE - Barbara Perkins and her family run Angels of Hearts, a community organization that opens its doors to serve a neighborhood Thanksgiving feast every year, where anyone can help themselves to a plate.

"I can buy something and make that a part of our community, and we take care of it, it will be strengthening our community," Perkins said.

She started feeding the neighborhood during Thanksgiving 16 years ago.

"We're hoping to be able to do something that other people will feel positive about and take that and do for their communities," she said. "It's not about how much money or resources you have, because if you take it and you put it together, you can make a difference.”

For those 16 years, Thanksgiving plates have been packed hot and ready to go, filled with turkey, mac and cheese, stuffing, and other holiday staples.

"We normally prepare food for 200, but the most we observed has been 160," Perkins said.

They do accept donations year-round, but most of their contributions are from within their own organization.

For many families, the feast has become a Thanksgiving tradition they look forward to every year. And while feeding the community is important to Perkins, she hopes the impact will last.

"It's all about our legacy. It's not just about feeding in the community. It's about legacy in the importance of keeping things going,” she said.

Perkins plans to host the feast again next year.