Free Thanksgiving Meal

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courtesy Good Shepherd Lutheran Church

A past Thanksgiving meal at Good Shepherd Lutheran Church.

A past Thanksgiving meal at Good Shepherd Lutheran Church.

It’s not been a good year so far for folks who’ve been hit hard by job losses, the government shutdown, and especially the disruption in SNAP benefits. Fortunately caring members of the community want to share the harvest so everyone can enjoy a traditional Thanksgiving meal. Drop-in options on the holiday include Good Shepherd Lutheran Church, 5701 Raymond Road, 11 a.m.-1 p.m.; House of Flavas and Devine Grilling hosts a meal at the Black Business Hub, 2352 S. Park St., 2-4 p.m.; Luke House, 310 S. Ingersoll St., 3-4 p.m.; and the Cardinal Bar, 418 E. Wilson St., 5-10 p.m. (pay-what-you can). Registration is required for the meal at Lakeview Lutheran Church, 4001 Mandrake Road (noon; RSVP at 608-244-6181) and for a free meal hosted by Neighborhood Food Solutions founder Robert Pierce at Madison Labor Temple (1-4 p.m.; RSVP at 608-358-5834), and recommended for the Delta Beer Lab meal (3-5 p.m. call Delta at 608-640-4500 or register here). Find more info in the calendar listings or here.

media release: More than 150 volunteers will come together this Thanksgiving to help a local church provide a traditional Thanksgiving dinner to hundreds of people on Madison’s southwest side.

For the 31st consecutive year, Good Shepherd Lutheran Church will hold a community Thanksgiving Day meal from 11 a.m. to 1 p.m. on Thursday, November 27. The meal will be served at their Madison location, 5701 Raymond Road in Madison (on the southwest corner of Raymond Road and Whitney Way.)

The volunteers for the event come from both inside and outside the church. “Every year, we have a nice mix of members and people from the community, “said Outreach Pastor Dara Schuller-Hanson. “Some people have come every year for decades to volunteer. For them, this is how they celebrate Thanksgiving – to serve others. It’s a reminder that serving others is one of the key parts of Good Shepherd’s mission.”

The Thanksgiving Day meal is just one way Good Shepherd connects to their community through food. Their Holy COW food truck is active throughout the year and served 6,432 meals this year at 72 different events, using 207 volunteers to make it happen.

“At Good Shepherd this fall, we’ve focused on telling people how they can flourish here by being rooted in Christ, and growing in faith,” said Schuller-Hanson. “The reality is, our ministries wouldn’t be able to flourish without the incredible support of our volunteers to make them happen.”

Good Shepherd has served a Thanksgiving meal every year at the church since 1994. Schuller-Hanson expects to serve around 500 meals for neighbors and congregational members at this year’s event, which includes the traditional dinner of turkey and dressing, mashed potatoes, cranberries, and pumpkin pie, plus all the trimmings! There is no cost for the meal. There are vegetarian and gluten-free options as well on the menu.

Volunteers are needed to help donate food and serve on the day of the event - click on one of the options below to be a part of the Thanksgiving feast! Food Donation Sign Up Opens Friday, October 31. Server Volunteer Sign Up Opens Monday, November 3.

Volunteer to Serve

Donate Food for the Meal