Addison’s Army of Angels, the Rescue Mission of Roanoke, and Aztec Rental are all giving back this holiday season by providing free thanksgiving meals to the community

With the Thanksgiving holiday quickly approaching, Aztec Rental, Roanoke Mission and more are stepping up to make sure those in need have access to a warm meal.

Roanoke’s State of the City address highlighted homelessness and addiction as continuing challenges, with local groups like RAM House and Roanoke Valley Collective Response stressing that breaking stereotypes is key to providing support.

A proposed housing development in Southeast Roanoke moves forward despite community concerns and opposition. On Monday, the Roanoke City Planning Commission voted to rezone a four-acre plot of land for the "Gateway Project." The goal of the development is to address Roanoke’s housing crisis by providing high-quality living spaces for individuals earning between $18,000 and $60,000 a year.

A new affordable housing project called The Roanoke Gateway Project is coming to Southwest Roanoke.

Every year for Thanksgiving, thousands line up in downtown Roanoke for the Rescue Mission’s annual Drumstick Dash. This year, while the weather wasn’t perfect, more than 7,000 people hit the street to ensure that people will have food to eat.

Get ready to wear your running shoes because the 19th annual Drumstick Dash is back.

The Rescue Mission of Roanoke serves hundreds of people each day by offering shelter, food and addiction recovery services.

Having the proper clothing means everything and the Rescue Mission wants to help the most vulnerable with this with its new voucher store that opened last month.

The Roanoke Rescue Mission is seeing a 30% increase in people staying at the shelter as the U.S. homeless population hit a record high.

The Rescue Mission is asking for your help to give kids a Christmas miracle.

The RAM House and the Rescue Mission are adjusting the way they serve guests to help keep people experiencing homelessness safe and cool this summer.

According to the latest Point-In-Time Count, the number of people experiencing homelessness in the Roanoke Valley has gone up.

The campaign "Bread, Beds and Meds" perfectly describes all the services the Rescue Mission has to offer.

A devastating fire in Roanoke was recently ruled an accident. The vacant home on 13th Street in Southeast Roanoke burst into flames Tuesday night.

Locally-owned and operated, H&C Coffee Company will be donating a portion of their sales to Roanoke's Rescue Mission.

With the holidays and winter weather, the Rescue Mission of Roanoke is seeing an increase in the number of people who are in need of their services.

Wells Fargo showed some love to a local shelter for the homeless in Roanoke.

The Drumstick Dash returned to Downtown Roanoke for Thanksgiving Day

The Rescue Mission partnered with Parkway Church on the Mountain to give 110 teachers a chance to collect school supplies.

Rescue Mission’s Back to School Blast shifting to focus on teacher’s this school year.

A program to prevent homelessness, serving up some relief for those struggling, one box at a time.

The Rescue Mission of Roanoke hosted a Dock Party Friday. There was live music, food, face painting, a dunk tank and more. The event was for mission guests as well as the community. The purpose of the event was to encourage everyone to have fun while staying on a path forward in life.

A longtime Thanksgiving Day tradition is headed back to the Star City.

At 60 years old, James Bivens ia now experiencing homelessness for the first time in his life.

The Rescue Mission of Roanoke has made some changes to its emergency shelter program to better serve its guests.

Over the past month, five people have moved from the shelter to permanent housing.

It's been a month since the City of Roanoke made it a crime to camp, sleep or store personal belonging on sidewalks in downtown Roanoke.

The doors are always open, but with the upcoming snowstorm this weekend, the Rescue Mission of Roanoke is preparing for more guests who may need shelter.

The Rescue Mission received one of its single largest donations ever on Sunday from a church in Cave Springs.

Hundreds of people in need now have full tummies thanks to the Rescue Mission’s annual Christmas meal.

Even with some last-minute changes, the Rescue Mission’s Drumstick Dash was a huge success on Thanksgiving.

The Drumstick Dash was ran in-person this year with a new course on the Greenway.

There could soon be an influx of homeless people looking for emergency shelter because of a new proposed ordinance in Roanoke that would ban sleeping on sidewalks.

Bridget sits down with the CEO of Rescue Mission of Roanoke to learn more about this traditional race on Thanksgiving morning.

Soon, you will have a chance to move your feet so others can eat.

There are local families who just can’t afford school supplies right now and need the community’s support.

ROANOKE, Va. Whether your kids are in the classroom or at home, theyll still need school supplies. Thats why the Rescue Mission decided that its annual Back 2 School Blast still had to happen, but there are a few changes. In the past, families would register, then pick up a new backpack filled with school supplies for their student. Instead, the Rescue Mission is asking the community to drop off school supplies donations at specific locations by Aug. 10. The Rescue Mission of Roanoke is collecting school supply donations to give to students K-12.

ROANOKE, Va. – Hundreds of people in need enjoyed a warm Thanksgiving Day meal thanks to the Rescue Mission Ministries and volunteers. After the Drumstick Dash, the Rescue Mission hosted its annual Thanksgiving Day Feast. It’s a chance a to bring the community together, volunteers and those in need, even if they live different lives. Our family is our community and that’s what this is about is sitting down with those in your community no matter who they are and sharing this time with them," said Kevin Berry, Community Outreach and Marketing Manager at Rescue Mission. If you want to learn how to give back with Rescue Mission Ministries in Roanoke, click here.

This time of year is a big season for Rescue Mission Ministries, a crisis intervention center in Roanoke. One of the biggest events that is keeping Rescue Mission so busy right now is its annual Drumstick Dash. Kevin Berry, the community outreach director for Rescue Mission believes this event represents what Thanksgiving is all about. The Rescue Mission is also hosting a Thanksgiving feast at noon Thanksgiving Day. Another big event Rescue Mission is juggling is Coatsgiving, its annual coat drive.

ROANOKE, Va. – Atlantic Union Bank donated $23,000 on Tuesday in support of a Roanoke Thanksgiving tradition. The money donated to the annual Thanksgiving Drumstick Dash will support Rescue Mission’s food services. Atlantic Union Bank is the main sponsor for the 5K. The Drumstick Dash is still looking for volunteers. To sign up, email karl.stewart@rescuemission.net or volunteer.info@rescuemission.net.

ROANOKE, Va. - Nathan Austin moved to the Star City as a teenager. Austin moved to a beach in Cambodia and lived there for nine years but his demons caught up with him. In November, he moved back home, detoxed and checked into the Rescue Mission of Roanoke's Way Forward Recovery Program. It's a faith- and abstinence-based, yearlong residential addiction recovery program where people can recover, learn to reconnect with their families and community and get job training. The Rally for Recovery starts at 6:30 p.m. on Saturday, July 27, at the Berglund Performing Arts Theater.