Hilton Head community Thanksgiving tradition returns for 27th year
The 27th annual Community Thanksgiving Dinner will be held from 11 a.m. to 3 p.m. Nov. 26 at Hudson’s Seafood House on the Docks, with an anonymous donor pledging to match contributions up to $20,000.
The free Thanksgiving meal typically serves more than 1,500 Lowcountry residents and visitors. Donations collected in connection with the event will benefit Bluffton Self Help, Deep Well Project and Second Helpings.
The anonymous donor will match contributions dollar for dollar, up to a total of $20,000. Donations can be made at www.communitythanksgiving.com or during the Thanksgiving Day dinner.
“We are excited to be able to help even more people this year and are so grateful to this anonymous donor who obviously has a big heart for this community and a love of this event,” said Lesley Kyle, chair of the Community Thanksgiving Dinner.
Kyle emphasized that donations are not required to attend.
“We never want someone to think they need to pay to come,” she said. “It’s a free event and those who can give will and those who can’t are most welcome to enjoy a meal.”
St. Andrew By-The-Sea United Methodist Church and Hudson’s Seafood House on the Docks are the event’s founding partners. Hilton Head Island Community Church, First Presbyterian Church and Providence Presbyterian Church also support the dinner.
The Community Thanksgiving Dinner traces its beginnings to 1998, when an Island Packet article highlighted local residents who had nowhere to go for Thanksgiving. Brian Carmines, co-owner of Hudson’s; Allan LaCoe; and Betsy Doughtie, former executive director of the Deep Well Project, subsequently began organizing a community event.
St. Andrew By-The-Sea United Methodist Church joined the effort by leading volunteer and planning work, while Hudson’s offered to host the dinner. The first event was held on Thanksgiving Day in 1999 and served 500 meals.
The dinner now relies on more than 325 volunteers filling roles that include parking assistance, welcoming guests and serving meals. Organizers said up to half of the volunteers come from outside the Hilton Head area, at least half are returning volunteers and the roster is typically full by mid-October.
“My family has been involved in this incredible community event since the beginning and it is our honor and privilege to continue hosting the Community Thanksgiving dinner at Hudson’s,” said Andrew Carmines, co-owner of Hudson’s Seafood House.
Additional information is available at www.communitythanksgiving.com. Questions can be sent to info@communitythanksgiving.com or directed to 843-505-1370.
