A late Thanksgiving dinner at the Edmundite Center of Hope was actually right on time for the overflow crowd in attendance Wednesday.

The 1107 Griffin Ave. building was dedicated with a ceremony that included music, a meal and expressions of gratitude toward those who made it happen.

The facility, Executive Director of Missions The Rev. Richard Myhalyk said, is intended to consolidate the Bosco Food Kitchen, Catholic Social Services and Senior Activity Center under one roof.

“This facility will not only house the children’s nutritional program, but it will also provide the senior day program on weekdays as well as our social outreach,,” he said. “The center will be able to bring together many different services we’ve been offering.”

The dedication was performed by the Most Rev. Thomas J. Rodi, D.D. Archbishop of Mobile, who recognized the tremendous need for this facility in Selma.

“There are a number of our neighbors who are in need,” he said. “This facility is a way to make the love of God visible and to help our neighbors particularly in these difficult times.”

Since opening in 1983, the Bosco Food Kitchen has served more than 1.4 million meals, 80,541 in 2009 alone. These numbers, Rodi said, are a testament to the efforts of those involved.

“The kind of work that goes on here has been a great blessing to Selma and to the entire area,” he said. “To see the vitality of the Edmundite missions and the entire community working together truly is uplifting.”

The Senior Activity Center will open in December and operate weekdays from 9 a.m. to 2 p.m. The program will include daily devotional, exercise, games, arts and crafts such as quilting and sewing, discussion of current news and events, guest speakers and entertainment.

The Edmundite Center of Hope cost $1.1 million, Myhalyk said. The Bosco Food Kitchen relies primarily on the support of more than 40,000 donors from all over the United States. Gathering the funds, he said, was one of the toughest steps.

“The hard thing of course was the fundraising in these hard times and the ability of the donors to give,” he said. “We had to make a bold decision to break through and push forward.”

Several major gifts from individuals throughout the country were instrumental in making the project a reality. The nutrition program alone received annual donations on a yearly basis in honor of Ana Maria Baldor Bunn, a young mother who died of cancer April 19, 2003.

The local United Way and the Parrish Weaver Trust also provide annual grants to help operate the Bosco Food kitchen.