HOLLAND, Mich. — A West Michigan nonprofit started its Thanksgiving celebration a little early as Gateway Mission in Holland held its annual holiday dinner Wednesday evening.
The Great Thanksgiving Banquet was at Hope College's DeVos Fieldhouse.
“When we start serving…some of us are going to be back here loading these trays with the lids off. Then our runners are going to be on this side grabbing and taking them to the line,” Chef Frank Wilson, Gateway Mission’s food service director, explained to FOX 17. “You need people that know about hot pans and food in order to pull something like this off, and that’s why it’s so beneficial.”
Wilson is more than a chef at Gateway Mission. He said he's also someone who needed the nonprofit's support.
“I’m just really thankful because they have a program now called the Gateway Men’s Recovery Program, which is built upon scripture, but it’s also built upon service and servicing other people,” Wilson said.
The service is available to people at the DeVos Fieldhouse and to people who couldn't make it there in person.
“We’re serving over 1,300. Actually, 1,344 individuals here tonight, a traditional Thanksgiving meal plus 300 to-go meals,” said Rachael Neal, Gateway Mission’s development director.
And, according to Wilson, there will be plenty to go around.
“After we get everything plated and served, we will be doing to-go meals. People who would like to take a meal home, if we have any leftover, we will start running with our carryout containers. They can stop by our tables and take our meals home,” Wilson added.
If you’d like to help Gateway Mission serve the community, you can donate your time or money online.
