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Thanksgiving meals served at some homeless shelters this week will come with a gastronomic halo that few might expect: organic and locally grown foods.

While such better-for-you food will be served only at a fraction of the nation’s shelters, the trend toward serving the homeless organic, local and fresh foods is growing as consumers are embrace the same nutritional goals.

“If I have a guest coming to my house for Thanksgiving, I’m not going to open a can of beans for them,” explains Steve Badt, director of kitchen operations at Miriam’s Kitchen in Washington D.C. “A homeless person who is my guest deserves no less.”

There’s really no added expense, since all of the shelter’s food is donated, Badt says. “Why can’t a soup kitchen run like a high-end restaurant if it’s not costing anyone else money?”