DAYTON — Thousands of people were able to get a free Thanksgiving meal at the Dayton Convention Center on Thursday.
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After a five-year hiatus, the Feast of Giving returned to the area and had one of its biggest turnouts ever.
As reported on News Center 7 at 11:00, following the government shutdown, organizers said they knew they had lots of mouths to feed.
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For more than a month, the organization and its local partners planned for a massive turnout.
“We did up our food count. We originally were going to be around 6,000 meals. We increased that, anticipating there may be a few more that come out,” Jason Woodard, the Feast of Giving co-chair, said.
Their estimations were right.
As you passed through the security entrance, there were no empty seats.
Dayton resident Kelvin Crishon was one of the people who attended the event.
“This is wonderful, everyone can enjoy the holiday and eat,” he said.
Crishon said the event was a staple growing up in Dayton.
He remembers seeing many families come in and get a good, hearty meal for the holiday.
This Thanksgiving, they offered the usual: turkey, stuffing, mashed potatoes, green beans, rolls, and several types of pies.
Crishon said his favorite thing to get was the turkey.
The event first began in 1969 and happened every year until the pandemic in 2020.
Crishon was excited for its return.
“Live band, food, everyone can enjoy themselves. You can come on down and get yourself something to eat,” he said.
Once people were done eating, they could pick up some winter clothes.
Woodard said before the event started, they had to turn away volunteers as so many wanted to get involved and help out.
News Center 7 asked Woodard how much to takes to bring this event back.
“First year back, so we are trying to figure out exactly what that looks like, but we anticipate the total cost is going to be between $250,000-$300,000,” Woodard said.
After Christmas, organizers will start planning next year’s feast.
News Center 7 will continue to follow this story.
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