For 36th Year, Bea Gaddy Thanksgiving Feeds Thousands In Patterson Park
BALTIMORE (WJZ) -- It's a holiday dinner like no other.
For the 36th year, thousands of families got together in Patterson Park for a Thanksgiving meal, put together by volunteers for those who need it most.
Bea Gaddy, a well known homeless advocate, started the dinner in 1981, feeding 49 people.
The tradition has grown considerably since then with the help of hundreds of volunteers. This morning, people started lining up early outside the Virginia S. Baker Rec Center, where volunteers cooked 1,000 turkeys and had all the side dishes ready to serve.
Some meals were packaged for the folks who weren't able to make it to the center.
The dinner is now spearheaded by Bea's daughter, Cynthia Brooks.
"With all the other stuff that's going on, how our city can come together to pull this off for other people, it's awesome," she says. "This is one good day that everybody wins."
Canned goods and clothing were also handed out at the event, which lasted until 2 p.m.
UPS also donated to the dinner this year.
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