On Thanksgiving Day at the Windmill Restaurant, everyone becomes family.

This will be the 34th year the business will provide free Thanksgiving meals to anyone who asks. People can go to the Windmill, located at 172 Loudon Road in Concord, between 11 a.m. and 2 p.m. on Thanksgiving to receive a dinner either to pick up or eat there. The restaurant also processes orders ahead of time, with a network of dozens of volunteers dedicating part of their day to drop off the food. The eatery expects to dish out between 1,400 and 1,500 meals, which takes time, preparation and lots of helping hands.

“We’re all neighbors,” owner George Smirnioudis said. “We all live in the same city, so we’ve got to take care of each other. Do more for your community, and your community does for you – that was something our father instilled in us from a young age. It’s kind of your calling to society.”

The tradition began with George’s father, Windmill Restaurant founder Elias “Louie” Smirnioudis, a first-generation Greek immigrant who had never experienced Thanksgiving before.

“One of the kitchens that he first worked for, they invited him over. So after he opened his own restaurant a few years after that gentleman had passed away, he started doing it in his honor and memory,” George Smirnioudis said. “It took off, and we’ve been doing it ever since.”

In the 11 years since Louie Smirnioudis’s death, his three sons have taken over the business and continued this Thanksgiving tradition as a way to honor their father.

Many of those who come to the restaurant for a free Thanksgiving meal may otherwise spend their day in the cold or alone, Smirnioudis said. He hopes to serve senior members of the community, as well as those without without the ability to purchase food.

“On the road, you can clearly tell that you’re helping people that probably weren’t having even a hot meal that day,” Smirnioudis said. “When you’re in here, everyone just feels like a normal customer or like you’re at your in-laws or something.”

He especially enjoys watching people mingle with each other as they eat in the restaurant on Thanksgiving.

“They’re getting taken care of, as opposed to dealing with the harshness of society,” Smirnioudis added.

Preparation happens weeks in advance. The free meals could not happen without the support of community vendors and volunteers, including those who donate food, help prepare the meals, and deliver them to people on Thanksgiving Day, Smirnioudis said.

Richard Rosato began volunteering at the Windmill on Thanksgiving over two decades ago alongside his family. He got involved because he was a Windmill regular and became friends with Louie Smirnioudis over time.

“It is just something that’s become a part of our family fabric,” Rosato said. “We now wake up on Thanksgiving morning – I have three children, and whoever is home joins me – and we go up to the Windmill to serve meals or drive meals to people who can’t come to get their own meal. It has become our Thanksgiving tradition.”

Rosato feels heartened to see how his friend’s legacy has lived on in his beloved restaurant.

“His priorities in life were unwavering,” Rosato added. “He lived the value of being committed to the community, day in and day out.”

Andrew Pollack has been volunteering at the Windmill with his family since his early teenage years. He even worked there for several years in high school. Now in college, Pollack spends part of his Thanksgiving break helping distribute the free meals.

“It really brings out some of the best in Concord and some of the best in the community from the people who are getting food in line or the people who are volunteering,” Pollack said.

Each year, Smirnioudis sees some of his customers transform into volunteers. He hopes those in need will take advantage of the free meal and thanked all the volunteers for making the endeavor possible.

“It means everything that our community is willing to help each other, and that we care about each other, especially at the Windmill,” Pollack added. “It’s all about these people from all different walks of life coming and doing something good for the community.”

The restaurant works with Friends of Forgotten Children and the Friendly Kitchen to provide meals to as many people as possible. In past years, they have also coordinated with Concord Area Transit to make sure those who need a ride could make it to the restaurant, but that service won’t be available this year due to a scheduling issue.

“We apologize for the confusion and the inability to make it happen this year,” said Terri Paige, transportation director for the county’s Community Action Program. “We look forward to being able to set it up again in advance next year.”