Staff Writer
Pilgrims. Turkeys. Feasting. Detroit Lions Football. Thanksgiving can mean many things, but giving is the key for some area businesses.
For example, the downtown Ann Arbor Cottage Inn Restaurant has been providing free Thanksgiving dinners to the homeless, the underemployed and the lonely for 28 years.
The serving job is too big for the regular restaurant staff, so about 60 volunteers are recruited for the effort. Finding volunteers turns out to be, well, a piece of cake. Volunteering officially opens on Nov. 1 and the full quota is usually reached within a day, according to Katy Cole, Catering and Banquet Coordinator.
Bob Conradi The Washtenaw Voice
Bob Conradi The Washtenaw Voice
Bob Conradi The Washtenaw Voice
Bob Conradi The Washtenaw Voice
Volunteers are called through posts on social media sites or notices in their churches. Their ranks include college students who cannot go home for the holidays, retirees and many others in between.
This year, Cottage Inn, located at 512 William Street, will be serving as many as 300 free meals on Thanksgiving Day, Nov. 24, from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m.
Holy Trinity Student Parish, 511 West Forest Avenue, Ypsilanti, has also been serving free feasts on Thanksgiving Day. This parish ministers particularly to college students at Eastern Michigan University and Washtenaw Community College, but Deacon Stan Kukla said that all people are welcome at the dinner.
The food is provided by Food Gatherers and by contributions from parishioners. Church members serve the food. The church also maintains a food pantry for the needy.
This year, mass will be held at 10 a.m. and the dinner will start at 11 a.m. The dinner will be open until about 1 p.m. or whenever the food runs out.
New Testament Baptist Church, 1230 Michigan Ave., in Ypsilanti, serves family style dinners every Thursday of the year from noon until 2 p.m. On Thanksgiving Day the lunch will include turkey, dressing, cranberry sauce and other traditional fare.
As with Holy Trinity, much of the food is provided by Food Gatherers and the servers are from the congregation. Thursday attendance is usually between 80-110 people, according to Patricia Davis, the church’s feeding program coordinator.
St. Andrews Episcopal Church, 306 N. Division, Ann Arbor, serves free breakfast to all comers every day of the year, including holidays, said Kate Riedel, communications coordinator. The program is now a separate 501-3c organization supported by the church.
The breakfast program is entirely volunteer-based; even the director is a volunteer. Between 5-10 volunteers are needed each day for basic food preparation, dishwashing, coffee pouring and greeting. The number of people offering to help increases around holiday time, according to Riedel.
Breakfast at St. Andrews is served daily from 7:30–8:30 a.m.
Here at WCC, donors and volunteers are also doing their part. The Student Resource and Women’s Center (srwc) provides Thanksgiving food baskets to about 20 needy families identified by case managers. The recipients pick up the baskets at the srwc office in the Student Center, said Manager Liz Orbits.
The food for these baskets comes from two main sources. The WCC Bailey Library has a Food for Fines program in which canned goods brought to the circulation desk may be offered in lieu of paying fines. One item will pay for up to $7 in late fees, according to Kate Karain, of Access Services and Course Reserves. The collected cans go to the holiday food basket program.
Students in the academic skills “On Course” program also bring in non-perishable food donations as part of a community service assignment in a unit on “emotional intelligence.” These items either go to the baskets or are stored in a WCC food pantry.
Baskets also include a frozen turkey that is purchased through Food Gatherers using money in a turkey fund maintained by the srwc.
Students in the Culinary Arts program also get in on the giving. The WCC students prepare a pre-Thanksgiving community dinner that is served Nov. 17, from 5:30-8:30 p.m. at the Perry School Gymnasium in Ypsilanti. Everyone is welcome.
For this event the students cook, slice and portion 80 pounds each of turkey, chicken and ham. Some of the students also participate in serving. Chef Terri Herrera said that this dinner and WCC participation is a 17-year tradition.
As all these volunteers demonstrate, giving back to one’s community is a rewarding and effective way of expressing gratitude, during the holiday season and anytime.
