LOCATION CHANGE: Madison Community Meal in Honor of Dr. Martin Luther King Jr.
to
Boys & Girls Club of Dane County-Allied Family Center, Fitchburg 4619 Jenewein Road, Fitchburg, Wisconsin 53711
Desere Mayo
Art from the Madison Community Meal in Honor of Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. event's poster is by Madison artist Desere Mayo.
The King Coalition's community meal is cancelled this year, but this pickup-style, pay-it-forward event from the Overture Center, Downtown Madison BID and Little John's Kitchen will at least get people eating together in some fashion, as everyone will dine on ham, black-eyed peas, collard greens, and mac 'n cheese — and consider King's legacy. Dinners are $5 and those who can are urged to buy a meal for those who can't afford one. Sign up here. See Linda Falkenstein's full story on the dinner here. NOTE: The main pickup location has changed from downtown to the Boys & Girls Club of Dane County's Allied Family Center, 4619 Jenewein Road, Fitchburg. Satellite locations will operate from 11 am-2 pm at Goodman Community Center, 149 Waubesa St, and noon-3 pm, East Madison Community Center, 8 Straubel Court.
media release: Overture Center for the Arts and Little John’s Kitchens are working to bring us together for a community meal on Monday January 18, 2021 in honor of Martin Luther King Jr. Day. Madison’s Central Businesses Improvement District (BID) and the downtown Madison businesses it represents are proud to work in partnership to fundraise, market and organize this effort.
Community members are encouraged to RSVP in advance for a meal to help with meal counts but this is not required. Meals will be available for pick-up at Boys & Girls Club of Dane County's Allied Family Center, 4619 Jenewein Rd, Fitchburg WI 53711, from 12-5pm; East Madison Community Center, 8 Straubel Court, from noon-3 pm; and Goodman Community Center, 149 Waubesa St., from 11 am-2 pm. Note, this is a change from the original hours and location of MLK Boulevard, due to security concerns in the downtown area from Dec. 16-20.
Learn more at visitdowntownmadison.com/mlk.
Learn more and follow along on the Facebook Event page: https://www.facebook.com/events/1468725879991595/
“Martin Luther King Jr Day has always been a time to not only remember the vital messages from Dr. King’s life and legacy, but to continue to recognize the injustices that are still faced in today’s world for Black people and others suffering from discrimination. The MLK Community Dinner was always an important event to highlight those concerns and raise funds to help right some of the wrongs. Because of the pandemic and not being able to have mass gatherings at the Community Dinner, the Capitol Event, nor at Overture Center for the Arts, we wanted to still elevate the concerns Dr. King brought to light and have a different kind of MLK Community Dinner for all, especially those facing food insecurity,” explained Overture Past Board Chair Betty Harris Custer.
Participating downtown businesses will offer shoppers, diners and visitors the option of adding a $5/meal onto their final bill. Businesses will fundraise from January 11 – 17. Members in the community can purchase and sponsor meals through a web portal. An interactive display at Overture Center will help track the meals sold.
“Over the last year, the community has come together to support Downtown Madison businesses, and this is a unique way for them to give back,” shared Tiffany Kenney, BID Executive Director. “We hope to fundraise for 2,500 meals.”
Chef David Heide from Little John’s Kitchen shares, “With this meal people from all backgrounds will be able to come together to share a meal - although not able to sit at the same table -- it is still beautiful when people can come together to create community. “
SPONSORS
Overture Center for the Arts
Little John’s Kitchens
Madison’s Central Business Improvement District
Custer Financial Services
Helping deliver meals to homeless and other sites and to host main site:
Boys and Girls Club of Dane County
Feeding the Youth
Black Men Coalition of Dane County
Greater Madison Resource Center