It took about five minutes Wednesday afternoon to funnel some 45 young people through the food line of turkey, corn, sweet potatoes and other Thanksgiving dinner staples at Greater Mount Ararat Baptist Church, 2111 Edsall Ave.

It took even less time for the children to clean their plates after sitting down.

Thanksgiving came a day early for dozens of young members of the McCormick branch of the Boys and Girls Club of Greater Fort Wayne, which, along with Community Harvest Food Bank and the Fort Wayne Housing Authority, served food to 300 people Wednesday.

The feast came a day after the same agencies served 175 at the Brookmill Club, in an effort to bring good will and good food to those with fewer means.

“Organizations like ours can collaborate and hopefully bring some cheer to some people during the holidays,” said Joe Jordan, executive director of the Boys and Girls Club.

“When I talked to (Community Harvest Executive Director) Jane (Avery) about it, it was a no-brainer. It just made sense that we did our part to make sure these kids had a happy Thanksgiving.”

Talking with the children after they had eaten, it was apparent they were not only happy, but also thankful.

Latrell, 6, is thankful for his mom, as is 8-year-old Darriona. Aycediolis, 7, finds thanks this Thanksgiving season in, well, “the Earth.” Jayien, 8, is thankful for everybody.

Sierra, 8, was the most outspoken, telling of her piano skills before giving thanks for her “family and a life in this world.”

The children were thankful for the generosity of the three community agencies.

“We wanted to do something to make sure they had a good Thanksgiving dinner,” said Avery. “It's a great collaborative, with everyone doing their thing. (Housing Authority Executive Director Maynard Scales has) got the locations, (Jordan has) got the programs, I'm the food lady. It works.”

The food was prepared by Ceruti's Catering & Banquet Services, and Aunt Millie's Bakery donated the rolls and desserts.