AMHERST — Reflecting on his time volunteering at the Amherst Survival Center when it was housed in the basement of a former school building, sorting clothes and doing some cooking, Sky Lloyd appreciates how the annual Thanksgiving meal brings people together.

“This is my first time back in a few years,” Lloyd said as he sat down in the dining room of the center’s current 138 Sunderland Road building on Nov. 27, holding a plate filled with turkey, stuffing, mashed potatoes and other fixings. “It fills the soul, fills the heart and fills the belly.”

Lloyd, accompanied by his mother, Linda Lloyd, traveled 40 minutes from Hardwick to be at the dinner. Linda Lloyd said she remembers the days when the center was led by 30-year executive director Vangie Westcott.

“It’s reconnecting with people we haven’t seen,” she said. “It’s so nice to see everybody’s doing OK and giving thanks for all the blessings.”

The Celebrating Native American Heritage & Giving Thanks to Our Community event, as it is formally known, was expected to serve about 400 meals, both inside the dining room and with a to-go option set up in the parking lot.

As people entered the building for the dine-in option, with doors opening promptly at noon for the 2½-hour event, they were greeted by volunteer Sarah Usher, who shouted out, “Welcome, welcome!”

Guests only had to tell those checking in where they were from and could then order whatever food they wanted, before sitting down at a table and being free to chat about whatever they wanted to.

“Regardless of what’s going on in the world, this is what it’s about,” Usher said.

At least 50 staff and volunteers have spent recent weeks preparing and coordinating the meal, getting assistance from the University of Massachusetts, North Star Self-Directed Learning for Teens, the Lander Grinspoon Academy and Texas Roadhouse.

While conventional Thanksgiving foods were available, the center has honored Native culture with three sisters soup, wild rice, succotash, butternut squash and green beans. Numerous desserts were also available, including apple and pumpkin pie, homemade cookies and cupcakes from Carefree Cakery.

With the tables mostly filled, and with Native American music played by Raven Silvermoon, Executive Director Lev BenEzra welcomed and expressed appreciation to those preparing and serving the food, leading to applause.

“Thank you all for being here,” BenEzra said. “Enjoy.”

BenEzra said the demand for the Amherst Survival Center’s services is higher than ever, and with more people coming in who have never shown up before, including 3,600 last year. The food pantry serves people from 13 communities, with 70% more served every month than at the height of the pandemic. The center is also delivering groceries to about 1,000 people a month, and the hot lunch four days a week serves about 300 people.

The generosity of the community remains the lifeline for the center, BenEzra said, with donors who have stepped up and 300 volunteers each month, along with various partnerships with businesses, nonprofits and educational institutions. “It really is a community,” BenEzra said.

Fundraisers like the recent Hike for Hunger are also critical, with Amherst College as a lead sponsor helping to recruit students and faculty, and Giving Tuesday next week, which already has a donor making a $10,000 match.

Diners who came out Wednesday praised the event.

“It’s a good meal, good music, good vibes,” said Nate Smith of Amherst, observing this would be his fifth Thanksgiving meal in Amherst.

He praised the generosity of those in the area. “This is paradise, a resort, compared to the rest of the country,” Smith said.

Joe Sala, who came to the meal for the first time in a few years, was happy to be back.

“It really is wonderful,” Sala said. “These are the most uplifting people in my life.”

There were also newcomers to the meal, like David O’Donaghue, a recent Iowa transplant who joined a few other residents of Applewood at Amherst Apartments in taking the shuttle bus from their South Amherst homes.

“I’m enjoying living in Massachusetts and I’m enjoying living in Amherst.” O’Donaghue said.

“The food here is wonderful,” he said.

Scott Merzbach can be reached at smerzbach@gazettenet.com.