Even while living on the street, people can find reasons to be thankful.

For 59-year-old Francis Yond, it is the spirit and compassion shared by Hawaii residents.

"The biggest help (during this time of year) is the people itself. People in Hawaii are different from those in other states. Here, they try to give you a helping hand, while people on the mainland try to send you to jail," Yond said. "It is the people who help me get through the holidays."

On Thursday, the West Hawaii community joined together to show once more there are people who care. During the Hunger and Homeless Awareness event at Hale Halawai, West Hawaii's homeless were treated to a Thanksgiving feast fit for kings.

In addition to lunch, the day included musical entertainment, door prizes, dancing, letter-writing and the taking of photos to send to families back home.

As people piled turkey, rice, mashed potatoes, stuffing, kalua pig and cabbage onto their plates, those treated made sure to save room for desert. While eating their Thanksgiving lunch, they heard from people who had lived on the streets and were able to turn their lives around and find housing.

"My prayer is that one day there will be no more of my faces on the wall along Alii Drive," one speaker told the audience, which began whistling and clapping loudly.

"This is a nationwide event, with each community doing its own event, collecting and distributing food," said Thelma Tayamen, event co-coordinator and case manager with Family Support Services of West Hawaii youth development division. "It's just a community banding together to help our people on the west side."

Canned food drives were held at Kealakehe Elementary and Intermediate schools, as well as several area businesses, and the food was distributed at Thursday's event. Along with their bags of canned goods, participants received personal hygiene kits, complete with shampoo, a razor, toothpaste and soap.

Resource tables were also set up with helpful information for those in need of services, from agencies such as the Salvation Army, West Hawaii Community Health Center, Adult Mental Health Services, HIV/AIDS Foundation, Workforce Development and more.

In addition to helping the homeless, the event was also meant to educate the community on the issues of homelessness and hunger.

"If there's only one thing people take from this today, I hope it's this -- solving the problems of our homeless community is good for our entire community," said Huellyn Whitford, youth development division director for Family Support Services of West Hawaii.

Casey Ballao, general manager for Roberts Hawaii Tours and Transportation, agreed, which is why the company volunteered to collect can goods from its employees. The canned-food drive began about six weeks ago, with a goal of collecting 600 pounds of food.

"We went above that. There's a lot of people out there that really care about each other, but everyone's so wrapped up in their everyday life they forget about giving back, that's why opening these kind of events (to the public) are so important," Ballao said.

Roberts Hawaii also took in job applications from about 25 people at the event. Ballao was surprised to find some highly experienced applicants, even a certified diesel mechanic.

"Many communities look at homeless as someone from the third world and with that attitude, they can't succeed in life. But there's great value in them and just by offering them employment so they can start to get their life back is a help," he said. "Sometimes we all need to be lifted up when we're in the slumps. It's enough just to be employed, to make money, to survive."

For 65-year-old Robert Ray Hedges, who has been living on the street for 17 years, the event is a nice break from the normal routine, and one he strongly appreciates.

"It's the most beautiful act of aloha that's not hype. It is the real thing -- this is aloha," he said. "It's bringing love into action."