About 50 children who could not be with their families on Thanksgiving enjoyed a bountiful dinner, courtesy of Craig Poole, general manager of the Holiday Inn Pittsburgh Airport, who said he wanted to do something to help them during the holiday season.

Following a recent visit to The Bradley Center in Robinson, Mr. Poole decided that the Holiday Inn would adopt the youths who live on the second floor of the facility, which is a regional behavioral healthcare and child welfare residence for girls and boys ages 6 to 18.

In addition to the dinner, the Holiday Inn donated 150 sets of hats, gloves and scarves to the children and delivered gifts to them before Thanksgiving.

Holiday Inn executive chef David Shamonsky was moved by the response of the young guests last Thursday.

"You should have seen the looks on the kids' faces," he said. "Their eyes were so big. You would have thought we gave them a million dollars."

Mr. Poole invited all of the children at the Bradley Center to dinner, but many were able to spend the holiday with their families. Mr. Poole rented school buses to transport his guests to the facility and he had many volunteers -- even his wife, Melissa -- serving food and drinks.

Chef Shamonsky and his staff prepared turkey, gravy, mashed potatoes, sage stuffing, Waldorf salad, Ambrosia salad, macaroni and cheese, green bean casserole, rolls and butter, and cranberry-orange chutney.

A dessert buffet had pumpkin pie, apple crisp and chocolate mousse. The kids could have as much as they wanted, and if they wanted multiple desserts, that was fine, too.

Stephanie, 16, of Fairmont, W.Va., said that this was her first Thanksgiving away from home.

"Talking to the chef was the highlight of my year," she said, "That's what I want to be when I grow up. I want to be a chef."

One of the Holiday Inn servers gave Stephanie a tour of the kitchen, including the walk-in cooler.

June Evans, a server who is from England, hugged every Bradley Center guest. She had tears in her eyes as she wished them a happy Thanksgiving and thanked them for coming.

"I love those little babies," she said, even though most of them towered over her.

Deja Vue, 16, of West Philadelphia, said that the food was good. She said that she appreciated having the opportunity to go to the Holiday Inn and celebrate Thanksgiving with a family outside of the Bradley Center.

Peggy, a 17-year-old from Philadelphia said, "It was nice that Mr. Poole invited us."

Jamie, 14, of Harrisburg said, "The macaroni and cheese was spectacular." Jamie said that she likes to help clean up, and she even offered to help wash the dishes.

This is the start of a partnership between the Holiday Inn and The Bradley Center.

The hotel will sponsor activities monthly. Mr. Poole said that he's thinking about having the kids come for movies and popcorn.

"I want them to know our faces and know we care about them," Mr. Poole said. "They are our future."

Mr. Poole said that the children will be invited for dinner on Christmas, too.

The Inn will sponsor an angel tree in the lobby bearing the names of the children and their gift requests. Jerry Mote, director of fundraising and development for the Bradley Center said volunteers will be needed to wrap gifts.

Mr. Mote said this was the first time that a large group of residents have taken such an excursion. He said groups of 4 to 6 residents typically travel to the zoo, the aviary, Pittsburgh Penguin hockey games and shopping trips.

Many of the children who live there have psychological and emotional trauma.

"They are referred to us through medical providers or they are brought to us by parents who cannot provided the care they need within the home," he said.

Mr. Mote welcomes volunteers to read to younger children. They can call 412-788-8219.