Community feast, festivities planned for Thanksgiving

Islanders looking to spend the Thanksgiving holiday in a community setting are welcome at the Presbyterian church throughout the afternoon and evening.

Islanders looking to spend the Thanksgiving holiday in a community setting are welcome at the Presbyterian church throughout the afternoon and evening.

For the second year in a row, Sooze Bloom deLeon Grossman and Benjamin Grossman will host the Interfaith Council to Prevent Homelessness’ Community Thanksgiving, which will begin at 2:30 p.m. with movies, games, music and snacks. Dinner will follow from 5:30 to 7 p.m.

This year the Grossmans say they hope to serve more than 100 meals at the church and provide 150 to go. In the process, they would also like to erase the division between those who are homeless and others. The meal is for everyone who would like to come, Sooze said, no matter their circumstances.

“It is a real community meal,” she added.

Dinner will be a traditional turkey and ham dinner with all the fixings, and several vegetarian and vegan options will be available as well.

Last year they served more than 60 people at the Thanksgiving dinner and provided more than 80 meals to go, with much of the food prepared during the day by the guests themselves. The Grossmans say they hope to replicate that again this year, with all those who are interested in cooking lending a hand.

“There is always room for more — more guests, more volunteers, more joy,” Sooze said last week.

The Grossmans are accepting donations of funds and prepared food and would also welcome musicians who would like to perform, loaned music equipment and a large screen TV and DVD player for showing movies. For more information on donating or volunteering, email sooze@zirkast.net.