On Thanksgiving it was hard to tell the difference between the Springfield Soup Kitchen and a typical homestyle restaurant with cozy decor, a delicious smell wafting in the air and live piano playing.

But that’s the goal of the soup kitchen, which opened it’s doors at 830 W. Main St. for a free Thanksgiving dinner for the public Thursday afternoon.

The soup kitchen aims to make people feel like they are eating a meal at home, said Kathy Lewis, who organized the event in place of owners Carolyn and Fred Stegner.

By 12:15 p.m. there were already around 40 or 50 people eating with their friends and families at the soup kitchen.

“This is how it should be everyday to show God’s love,” Lewis said. “Not just for Thanksgiving and for Christmas.”

For many attending the dinner, the soup kitchen has become more than a means to a free meal.

“I used to come here hungry for food,” Angel Sherock said. “Now I come hungry for other things.”

Sherock said she came to the shelter house when she hit rock bottom after her daughter’s death.

“I went through these struggles and I was looking to save my life and I came here,” Sherock said. “Now I’ve gotten involved in the church and I’m a much better person now for being here today.”

Sherock, as well as many other attendees, knew a lot of the volunteers and visitors there.

“It’s like a great, big old family,” Leroy Mays said. “Everybody has respect for everybody and you can feel the love for everybody. It’s wonderful.”

Mays’ friend and fellow dining guest Kim Harris agreed.

“I come every week. It doesn’t feel like we’re getting a handout,” Harris said. “With the economy the way it is it’s just the only place you can get a nice meal.”

Tracy Ross comes to the soup kitchen every week with her family — including her 9-year-old and 21-month old sons — and said people there have watched her boys grow up.

“There’s one man here who means the world to me and my boys,” Ross said of volunteer Mike Bates, a Reider Dairy employee. “My 21-month-old has to have milk because he has lead poisoning and milk is really important. (Bates) has always looked out for him.”

For information on how to volunteer or donate to the soup kitchen, call 937-543-2241. The soup kitchen serves dinner on Mondays and Wednesdays from 5 to 6 p.m.