Georgetown Community Thanksgiving feeds more than 400 people in need
GEORGETOWN, Texas - A well-loved Thanksgiving tradition is going strong in Georgetown.
At the Georgetown Community Center, there was enough turkey, dressing, and sweet potatoes to make you gobble until you wobble.
"I am just thankful to have so many amazing friends helping us put all this on," said Alycia Tandy, who started the Georgetown Community Thanksgiving. "It’s really heartwarming."
"My boys enlisted in the navy, both my boys, so it was just my daughter and I."
A Thanksgiving meal for two didn’t feel right to her. So in 2017, she convinced the city and dozens of strangers to help her whip up a feast.
"That’s Georgetown, they’re so good at that," said Tandy. "They have big hearts."
Every year, about 80 volunteers dish up 24 pies and about 100 turkeys.
"Today, I am in no way shape or form dressed as the police chief because, for me, I just want to be able to have the day like everybody else but at the same time feel like I am part of the community in a separate way," said Cory Tchida, Georgetown’s police chief.
The lunch has become a tradition for the Georgetown Police Department and their families.
"My mom lives in Georgetown, and she would kill herself every year making this huge Thanksgiving meal, and I wanted her to be able to enjoy the holiday as well, so I invited her here to do this, just to come, and next thing I know, she’s now working it every year," said Tchida.
One hundred and forty plates are delivered to people who are homebound. Another 300 people eat at the community center.
"The amount of people that I see come through, it’s heartwarming to see them sitting and laughing at meeting new people," said Tandy.
The doors are open to anyone.
"It's for those that are new to town or their families are out of town, or they don’t have families, or anybody, you know, sometimes we get whole families that come and sit and eat, you know?" said Tandy.
It’s a nod to that Thanksgiving seven years ago that started it all.
"I believe Thanksgiving is all about community and fellowship," said Tandy. "That’s what we strive for."
If you have room for leftovers, the Georgetown Public Library will serve food from Sweet Lemon Kitchen and City Post Chophouse on Friday from 12 p.m. to 2 p.m.