Guest Column by India Brown, Program Officer
For nearly a decade, Thanksgiving week has meant watching the high school students of the Harvest Youth Board run the W. Dan Prince III Thanksgiving Eve Dinner from start to finish. They recruited volunteers, bought supplies, set up the room, served plates and sent out deliveries.
The dinner honored Dr. W. Dan Prince III, a respected local physician and Harvest Foundation board member whose life reflected service to his neighbors. Since 2016, thousands of people have shared a meal in his name.
In recent years, the Youth Board noticed more churches, schools and neighborhood groups hosting Thanksgiving meals of their own. So the students asked: what if we helped them grow? The answer is the Community Thanksgiving Table Fund, which awards grants of up to $3,000 to support free, community-led meals during Thanksgiving week.
The Thanksgiving Eve Dinner was one table where everyone was invited. This year, the table is bigger.
Nine lead organizations are hosting: Agape Ministries, Chatham Heights Baptist Church, First Baptist Church of Collinsville, First Baptist Church East Martinsville, Moral Hill Missionary Baptist Church, Orchard Drive Baptist Church, Smith Memorial United Methodist Church, Henry County Public Schools’ FCCLA (Family, Career and Community Leaders of America), students at Bassett, and a coalition of Fayette Area churches and organizations.
That Fayette Area dinner alone unites many partners including Grace Presbyterian Church, Fayette Street Christian Church, First Presbyterian Church-Collinsville, First Presbyterian Church – Martinsville, Integrity Life Ministries, Kappa Delta Omega, Mt. Sinai Apostolic Church, Mt. Zion AME Church, and Pilgrim Missionary Baptist Church.
I’m especially proud to see FCCLA students among the hosts. And the Harvest Youth Board hasn’t stepped back: they reviewed every proposal and will serve alongside hosts during Thanksgiving week.
From Nov. 21 through Thanksgiving Day, 11 locations will serve free hot meals, from Ridgeway to Axton and Collinsville to Bassett, including four on Thanksgiving Eve. There are no requirements to receive one. If you need a meal, please come. If you don’t, come anyway and sit with someone new or volunteer your time to help.
I know we will miss the dinner in its past format, but the Youth Board has taught me that tradition isn’t about keeping everything the same, it’s about keeping what matters. Dr. Prince’s legacy is the belief that everyone deserves a seat at the table. This Thanksgiving, there are more seats than ever. I hope you’ll take one.
To find out more or to volunteer, visit www.harvestyouthboard.org.