A Community Thanksgiving

SUMMIT, NJ – A Community Thanksgiving
GRACE Giving & Receiving Assistance for our Community’s Essentials
Written by Melanie Wilson

That stuffing smell. There’s nothing else quite like it. As people lined up to enter the Guida Gym at the Summit Community Center on Thanksgiving day for the Community Thanksgiving event, turkey was on everyone’s mind.

The Summit “Community” Center lived up to its name, with the entire building transformed into a true community gathering. The gym held a buffet line filled with traditional holiday fare, turkey and gravy, stuffing and potatoes, it was all there. BMS/Sodexo made the turkey, gravy, and stuffing, The Overlook Hospital kitchens, Pizza Vita, and Brandywine contributed all the sides: cranberry sauce, green beans, potatoes, pasta, and corn bread. The centerpieces were beautiful fruit baskets, donated by Atlantic Health. The placemats, created by Summit elementary school students, set the stage with warm colors, festive scenes, sweet jokes, and detailed fall themes.

Performance artists brought their craft to entertain, from lively musicians offering sing-along renditions of classic favorites to authentic dancers from Peru performing, all emceed by the Valerio family.

In the next room, volunteers played with kids in the open gym, while down the hall, kids colored Thanksgiving pictures, but karaoke was the name of the game.

“Wherever you went that day, the spirit of Thanksgiving prevailed,” said Amanda Parrish Block, GRACE Founder. “It was all made possible by our wonderful community sponsors and our volunteers.”

Summit’s Department of Community Programs and Oakes have been partners with GRACE since 2021, when the decision was made to host a Thanksgiving event inclusive of the entire Summit community.

“This year marked the fifth annual Community Thanksgiving, though the event has evolved since its early days,” she said. “The first year was a small distribution of prepared meals at the Cornog Field House at Memorial Field. Oakes held its own celebration at the same time. Once we decided to collaborate, the event has grown into a large, festive gathering at the Summit Community Center. The goal is to offer a place for the entire community to feel welcomed, not just the families who use GRACE’s services.”

While a traditional Thanksgiving dinner may sacrifice using “the good dishes” in the name of convenience, that did not happen here. Oakes generously subsidized the rental of dishes, linens, and silverware to give the event an air of dignity and celebration. Feeding 175 guests is no small task, and it truly took a village of corporate donors and volunteers to make it happen.

More than 50 volunteers did everything from greeting guests, setting up chafing dishes, serving, and washing dishes. Volunteers even showed up early to warm the food at the Oakes Center kitchen, shuttling it over to the Community Center which required a coordinated effort of volunteer teams.

Vanilla? Chocolate? Sprinkles? Guests could grab an ice cream from the Danny’s Soft Serve ice cream truck parked out front. For those who preferred to stay warm in their seats and watch the entertainment, volunteers took orders and delivered ice cream cones to them. GRACE ensures events are accessible to people of all abilities, so meal deliveries and the City’s senior bus provided door-to-door transportation from senior housing.

And it was the meal that kept on giving. On the way out, guests were invited to take boxed-up leftovers home and even grab a pie or fruit basket. Block said that one guest told her he had never had Thanksgiving dinner leftovers before. “The pies were such a bonus,” Block said. “We were facing a shortfall for the Thanksgiving distribution, put out the ask, and our Summit community rose to the occasion once again.” Each year GRACE challenges our community to donate pies for the weekly distribution program, ensuring every family has a sweet treat to end their meal. With increased demand, the challenge already set the bar high, and this year donors exceeded the pledge goal by over 100 pies.

As with any good Thanksgiving dinner, more was made than could be consumed. In this case, leftovers were packaged up and delivered to three different area veterans groups.

GRACE engages with community leaders and partner organizations to better understand and respond to local needs. "We are able to best serve the need when we work together, and coming together is what Community Thanksgiving is all about," Block said. From planning to execution, special thanks go out to the Summit Department of Community Programs and Oakes for continuing this tradition in partnership with GRACE.

Why it matters

For many families in Summit, GRACE’s Thanksgiving has become more than a meal. It is a community anchor, a chance to connect, celebrate, and share in the spirit of giving. Events like this reflect the ongoing commitment of volunteers, sponsors, and residents to supporting one another.

The Press-Guerin family, who came out in its entirety to volunteer, said, "This is what we do now. It's our tradition to come here and serve before we go home and sit down to our dinner.”

About GRACE

Since 2016 GRACE has been Giving & Receiving Assistance for our Community’s Essentials. As a volunteer run 501(c)3 non-profit organization, GRACE meets community demand with community resources. Beyond food, GRACE connects neighbors with household necessities, personal care products, and stabilizing support services with weekly distributions. For more information, visit www.gracegivingreceiving.org, or email info@gracegivingreceiving.org.

@GRACESummitNJ