LOS ANGELES - "I'm a recovering drug addict/alcoholic, and I could easily be down here or a lot worse," said Tom Arnold of The Best Damn Sports Show, Period, surveying the crowd of the hungry and homeless at the Los Angeles Mission on Wednesday. "It's good to be down here to help."

Tom Arnold joined Henry Winkler, Jennifer Love Hewitt and Melissa Joan Hart in something that has become a favorite tradition of celebrities on the eve of Thanksgiving.

The Los Angeles Mission closed down a city block in downtown Los Angeles to create a cheerful, festive atmosphere a traditional thanksgiving meal was served to homeless families. A live jazz band played as celebrities alternately served turkey and cranberry sauce, or ran the hot food to the dozens of tables set up.

Henry Winkler's son Max explained, "We come here every year, because it's a real, person to person interaction. When you're a plate runner, you get to see the faces of the people. And the food is really good!"

Henry Winkler added, "I'm thankful that we are able to be here to help serve these meals. Last year, 2000 people came through the door. This year, 3500. That says a lot. It is a shame that in the greatest country in the world, we have 3500 people who need to be here, and on the other hand, it is amazing that the LA Mission is here to serve.

Longtime LA Mission supporter Jennifer Love Hewitt said she was "thankful that I still get to come down here the day before Thanksgiving. The people at the LA Mission are angels. They take such good care of these people. After this event is over, and the Christmas event is over, the LA Mission never stops. The rest of us, although we come out and do what we can, but the people at the LA Mission stay here every single day and night and make sure that [the homeless] are all right and taken care of. That's dedication that I admire so much."

The LA Mission's dedication to helping the homeless goes beyond just serving a meal on the day before Thanksgiving. At the end of the blocked-off street, dozens of volunteers were washing the feet of the homeless, trimming nails, and providing podiatry services if necessary. Above the pedicure station, a quote from the Bible read, "Now, that I, your Lord and teacher, have washed your feet, you also should wash one another's feet."

That's the kind of generous spirit we can all aspire to this Thanksgiving.