RANDOM ACTS OF KINDNESS: Free, Homemade Thanksgiving at Cristo Rey

What do you dream of when you dream of Thanksgiving Dinner? Is it a quiet meal with a few close friends or family? A big event where you cook all day for lots of family and friends and you all celebrate the year by giving thanks?

At Cristo Rey Community Center in Lansing, Thanksgiving Dinner is unlike anything you’ve ever imagined. They have been serving Thanksgiving Dinner for 30 years now, and this year they are expecting the event to be bigger than ever. They started out serving just the community around the center, a community that faces many challenges and is no stranger to need. But event coordinator Michael Hood, who has been involved for 23 years, had a bigger vision for what the Cristo Rey Thanksgiving meal could be.

Over time the meal has transformed from serving the community to serving the city and surrounding area, and now serves the tri-county area and beyond. It has gone from a soup-kitchen-style meal to a sit-down meal where guests are seated at tables, order off of bilingual menus, and are served by wait staff dressed in white shirts and black pants. And those in attendance aren’t the only ones being served. Cristo Rey also delivers hot meals to those who are homebound. This year Mr. Hood said they would be delivering between 300 and 400 hot meals.

The event is quite an undertaking as the food served at the community center and the meals delivered to those at home is all homemade. Potatoes peeled, turkeys cooked, pies baked, green beans casseroled, and gravy from the drippings: each item is prepared by individuals without the aid of pre-made boxed foods. Each year the vision and reach of the event exceeds even the vision of those who work tirelessly to pull it off.

The community center has many programs that run throughout the year, all run on a shoestring budget. Mr. Hood has consistently raised the necessary money, gathered volunteers, and obtained food donations for the Thanksgiving meal without drawing from from Cristo Rey’s annual budget. 

If you want to get involved with this event, there is still plenty of time. The organizers still need large pots, heating bins, utensils, “to go” containers (large and small), heating bags for delivery, cooked turkeys, potatoes, squash, stuffing, spices, flowers for centerpieces, volunteers, and financial contributions. There is a particularly great need for delivery drivers, a way to help and still have plenty of time for your own Thanksgiving celebration. Please contact Michael Hood if you are interested in lending a hand in any way.

If you would like to attend the event or know someone who needs a Thanksgiving meal with a strong sense of community, the event is taking place Thursday November 27^th from 12:00-2:00 pm. Cristo Rey Community Center is located at 1717 High St., Lansing, MI.

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