How to Get a Free Thanksgiving Meal this Year in Three Easy Steps
The holiday season is upon us again. For some reason it came much earlier than last year. I was purchasing the last of the Halloween candy yesterday at 90% off when I realized Christmas songs were playing overhead! I couldn’t believe it! Retailers used to wait until the Thanksgiving week to set up Christmas items and play Christmas songs over their airways – not anymore.
Where did Thanksgiving go? Where did the spirit of family and friends joining together over a nice hot meal to celebrate the things we are thankful for?
Although I love the holiday season, I’m weary of the massive emphasis on consumerism in our culture. In the spirit of giving, I set off to find the best of hearts in my local city of Austin, Texas. I set out to find a free Thanksgiving meal.
You can also get a free Thanksgiving meal in your area by following the same steps that I did. Here’s how:
1. Start by searching on Google.
Use very specific and very long keywords so that you can find the right information.
Type in “Free thanksgiving meal for seniors in [your town and state] 2014”
Make sure you include the year. You don’t want to get old information that is no longer relevant. You do not need to include the month or a specific day of the week as that may cross out some good options.
You’ll see a list of acceptable choices on the first three pages. To save time, click on ones that are well known like the local community church or non-profit organizations in your area. Meals on Wheels, Salvation Army, and your local Thanksgiving Trots are a great start.
2. Utilize your local news agency.
Although I love my local news station, sometimes their alerts for free Thanksgiving meals in my area are outdated or come too late (after the actual event happens).
You can still take advantage of their work by scrolling through older information and personally contacting the centers to see if they are offering free Thanksgiving meals to get the most updated information.
3. Contact your local senior community center.
They know that this time of the year is the busiest and loneliest for seniors and work extra hard to ensure they are taken care of.
Some local senior community centers may offer transportation to the free Thanksgiving meal as well! How great is that?
Getting a free Thanksgiving meal may take a bit of creativity at first but it is well worth your time and effort. There are so many giving organizations out there with big hearts. Here in Austin, H-E-B hosts an annual Feast of Sharing that will be held on November 25th at the Palmer Events Center from 4-8pm. This community event will serve up over 14,000 meals and is completely free! Activities include live entertainment and a children’s area that the Austin Museum of Art is putting up. What a great way to spend an afternoon with those adorable grandchildren without the fuss of making a Thanksgiving meal!
Happy Thanksgiving!
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