DJ Hart doesn't spend his Christmas morning opening presents. Instead, he heads to Dallas' City Hall downtown with his sister every Christmas to feed the homeless.
"This is Christmas to me. I couldn't imagine what Christmas would be like not being down here." Hart said standing near a crowd of 300 volunteers.
"This is what Christmas is about. It's about giving. It's not about receiving to me. It's about helping others." chimed in Dana Hart, DJ's sister.
Dana and DJ are with Big Heart Ministries, a Dallas-based group that helps feed the homeless on Christmas. The Harts estimates that 500 homeless people showed up for the dinner this year. Volunteers say this is the biggest crowd they've seen at city hall, and think the economy might be playing a role.
"We all know how this economy is hurting people. Just so many people out of work. and like I said, you just never know when it could be you." said Tammy Hise, a member of Trietsch Memorial United Methodist in Flower Mound.
The operation did hit a few snags. Earlier this week, a thief stole the ministries giant generator. The machine powers everything on site, and it needed for day-of operations. Hart says community members found out, and made sure the tradition stayed alive.
"It's been very difficult. We had to rent two vehicles in order to come out here and do this. In spite of all that, we're still here." Hard said.
