Volunteers beginning preparations for annual Christmas Family Feast

MILWAUKEE (CBS 58) -- The Salvation Army is busy getting ready for its Christmas family feast.

Volunteers dropped off food for the annual dinner this morning, including 16,000 pounds of food from Feeding America. 

The feast uses more than 4,000 pounds of ham and turkey to feed 8,000 people. Seven hundred volunteers will start preparing the food on Friday. 

"You're uplifted by the volunteers. They have no issues, they're here to help. They understand the significance of what we're doing and it really makes it fun working with people, serving people, that's what it's all about," said Robert Ilk, Christmas Family Feast head chef. 

The Christmas Family Feast is free and open to the public. Dinner will be served from 11:00 a.m. - 2:30 p.m. on Christmas Day at the Wisconsin Center.