A Springfield man and local restaurant is offering hundreds of free Thanksgiving meals

SPRINGFIELD, Mass. (WWLP) – It’s not Turkey Day yet, but it sure looked like it inside the 1636 North restaurant in Springfield on Sunday night.

One resident has now made it an annual tradition to organize the event, teaming up with 1636 North Restaurant to provide free Thanksgiving meals. He told 22 News that this event is an act of love, and a great excuse to set a good example for his son.

“It’s important to me because I want to teach my son that it’s bigger than just us,” said Rafael Desir, the event’s organizer. “When you give back to the community, the community gets behind you.”

Not only was it turkey, mashed potatoes, macaroni and cheese, apple pie and more festive foods, there was also live music and tons of people gathering for this now annual event.

But, as we all expected, the food was the best part.

“Let’s be real, food brings everyone together and with it being free it will bring everyone together,” Desir continued.

Last year, about 200 people were able to get a free Thanksgiving meal, and this year, more than 300. This was all possible thanks to every sponsor, including the most important one; 1636 North.

The restaurant, located at 220 Worthington Street, volunteered all of its food and space to make this happen. The owner told 22News that it was an easy choice, especially after she saw the community helping her launch her business and get through the pandemic.

“Feeding the community is a great feeling,” Amber Kinsey expressed. “Giving back gives you a warm feeling because we’ve been here so long and people have given to us, so we’re just trying to give back now.”

Now, a few hundred people actually ate a warm, delicious meal on Thanksgiving, something many of us take for granted but for which we should all be thankful.

Right now, one in five Americans say they doubt they have enough money to buy a traditional Thanksgiving meal, so any time people return money makes a big difference.