Austin Horton, with his black-framed glasses and an earbud playing music sticking out of his ear, looks like he should be hanging out in a coffee shop or on a quad at a college campus.
Instead, the 22-year-old was spending Thanksgiving at The Salvation Army's Center of Hope Shelter in Little Rock, where he is staying.
And as he dined on a holiday meal, Horton talked about how everyone deserves a second chance.
"This is my seventh year without my family," he said. "Because of poor decisions I made in my life, they don't want me right now."
Horton was one of about 200 people The Salvation Army expected to serve Thanksgiving lunch to on Thursday. At least 50 volunteers helped serve individuals and families.
For all of 2014, the Little Rock Salvation Army served 77,145 meals to more than 14,000 people, according to the organization.
For those attending on Thursday, Joe Stephens, the cook, prepared a lunch of turkey, ham, stuffing, green beans, macaroni and cheese, gravy and dinner rolls.
And for dessert there was a choice between pecan, apple or pumpkin pie.
Many people were excited for the feast Stephens prepared. But for Sylvance Wright, 66, who is a resident at the shelter, the highlight of the day came not from the food but from people coming together.
"I wish it could happen all over the world every day," he said, before adding,"Maybe one day is better than none."
Horton, the 22-year-old who is staying at the shelter, grew up in the Dallas-Fort Worth area.
After he "hit rock bottom," he moved to Little Rock to start over. However, he left in April and experienced a relapse since then.
Horton arrived in Little Rock again a week ago after hitchhiking his way back from Las Vegas.
The journey, which took a week and a half, involved walking through a lot of snow and rain and sleeping on the street in Albuquerque, N.M., he said.
"I walked a lot," he said. "But God was there."
And now, Horton said, he's working to change his life.
"To do whatever it takes to make my dreams come true," he said, pointing to his trek from Las Vegas to Little Rock as proof that "anything is possible."
His goal, Horton says, is to be on the Broadway stage and to build a youth homeless shelter in New York City.
"A lot of people my age go through stuff -- they do drugs," Horton said. "I want to show these kids that -- hey, you might not have family, but there are people who care about you."
Metro on 11/27/2015