Gratefull gives free Thanksgiving meal to Chattanoogans

CHATTANOOGA, Tenn. (WDEF) – Thanksgiving is around the corner! 

Thursday evening, hundreds of people gathered around the table for Gratefull. 

“We are here celebrating Gratefull. It is an annual Thanksgiving style feast held in front of the Bessie Smith Cultural Center every Thursday before Thanksgiving,” said Marcus Ellsworth, Project Manager River City Company. “It is an opportunity to come together and join a really nice lunch, meet some new friends, catch up with old ones and just enjoy the day.” 

Grateful began in Chattanooga in 2014. 

Due to COVID-19, the city-wide Thanksgiving luncheon was postponed for two years. 

But this year, Gratefull is back by popular demand. 

They held the community meal on E. Martin Luther King Boulevard. It took place between 11:3o a.m. and 1:30 p.m.

“It is really important to have an event like this because we do not often have opportunities to just come together with our neighbors with no agenda. Nothing on anyone’s mind besides eating and enjoying space together,” said Ellsworth. 

Gratefull organizers hope by bringing everyone together they can build love and friendship.

“We hope people make some new friends, have some great memories, and just carry that forward with them into the holiday season. This idea of sharing food and space with people spreads love, friendship, and kindness, all throughout the year,” Ellsworth concluded.