BELDING, Mich. — A holiday tradition for the Belding community is getting even bigger this year thanks to a recent donation.
The Grateful Hearts Community Dinner started at Bridge Street Cafe in the early 1990s with a few friends and just two turkeys, and now, organizers hope to feed at least 600 people.
The last dinner was a few years ago and organizers say they hosted a few hundred people at First Congregational Church.
“We hosted it there for two years and then the pandemic hit,” Paul Holford, the pastor of First Congregational Church, explained to FOX 17.
But now, they’re looking to come back even stronger on December 23, 2022. This year’s dinner is at Belding High School because of the anticipated boost in guests, and, thanks to a recent donation, they'll be able to give everyone both turkey and ham.
“We’re gonna feed 600 one way or another. We’ll have the money. I’m sure people will come forward with it,” added Merrill Russell, the founder of the Grateful Hearts Dinner.
Brent Noskey, the superintendent of Belding Area Schools, says this dinner couldn’t come at a better time.
“We’re right around 50-percent that qualify for free and reduced lunch,” Noskey explained. “Many of us who are fortunate and have been blessed take for granted, you know, the holiday season, and it’s just the wat it’s been that we, we have the nice family meal and we have presents…There are many families that that’s not something that happens every year.”
Organizers say there’s still a lot of work to do before people sit down for dinner at the high school, adding that your donation not only goes toward feeding people in need, but also making the Belding community even stronger.
“By donating a portion of each meal, a small portion of that goes into the general fund for building your community fund and helps us with other projects as well,” Marie Hodges, a chair member of the Belding Area Community Fund, said.
If you’d like to help, here are a few ways to do so:
- Donate online
- Sign up to volunteer
- Mail a donation to Belding Area Community Fund at P.O. Box 13 Belding, MI 48809 with "Grateful Hearts Community Dinner" in the memo
- Contact Paul Hulford at 616-717-3440
To get your free tickets to the Grateful Hearts Dinner, click here.
