This Year's Thanksgiving Day Community Dinner Will Look Different

The Thanksgiving Holidays are quickly approaching and local organizers are planning on how they can feed so many families in need this year.

According to Equinox, For 50 years needy families in the Capital Region have participated in the Equinox Thanksgiving Day Community Dinner. This year in the midst of the COVID19 pandemic, Thanksgiving will surely look different for many Americans, including the Equinox Thanksgiving Day Community Dinner.

Christina Rajotte is the Director of Development and Marketing for the Equinox Organization. She says that the organization has decided against holding the event at the Empire State Plaza and they will move towards alternate plans. She said, “Although it will certainly look different compared to other years due to COVID, instead of gathering together in large crowds of over 3,000 to 4,000 volunteers at the Empire State Plaza as we typically would, this year we decided because of COVID-19, it’s not safe for us to gather like that.“

The organization has come up with a very creative way to deal with feeding the needy. They’ve decided to raise over $100,000 to purchase meals. The plan is to take that money and buy dinners from local restaurants. That seems to be a win-win for everyone. Restaurants will be able to make money, their employees will make money, the volunteers will remain safe, and needy families will be fed.

After the dinners are purchased they will be delivered to the families in need. Plans are not clear yet on how homeless families will actually be fed, but they are planning on making sure homeless people are included in the Thanksgiving plans.

Ms. Rajotte is asking that anyone who is in need of a meal or who is able to volunteer for delivery call the hotline at 518–434–0131