Dalton gets together again for Gratefull meal

Published 10:45 am Tuesday, November 26, 2024

People started lining up in downtown Dalton around 10 a.m. Monday for the annual Gratefull community meal.

By 11 a.m. the line stretched from Hamilton Street down Crawford Street to Pentz Street and down Pentz halfway to Gordon Street. And it was still 30 minutes before organizers began to serve the meal.

“We are estimating right around 2,000 people again,” said Allyson Coker, executive director of Believe Greater Dalton, which organizes the meal.

That’s about how many people were served in 2023. More than 1,700 were served in the 2022 Gratefull meal.

Hamilton Street was closed Monday, and a large table was placed in front of the Greater Dalton Chamber of Commerce headquarters at 100 S. Hamilton St. for people to sit at and dine, and two other tables were set up where volunteers served food. People sat at the table and enjoyed a meal as well as a great deal of fellowship.

More than 1,400 people attended the inaugural Gratefull meal in 2019. “Come as strangers, eat as family” was the goal. Believe Greater Dalton, a project sponsored by the chamber, hoped to build on that success. But the COVID-19 pandemic forced the organization to change its plans. Instead of a community dinner, it hosted Gratefull Giveback food drives to support local food banks in 2020 and 2021.

This year, as in 2023, Gratefull combined the community meal with a food drive.

Organizers and supporters said they are glad to see so many people attend this year’s event.

“Today’s a lovely day,” said Greater Dalton Chamber of Commerce President Jason Mock. “It’s a great day for the community to come together.”

In addition to the traditional turkey and dressing, diners had options of roasted corn on the cob, tamales, several types of beans and various cakes, pies and cookies, among other foods.

State Sen. Chuck Payne, R-Dalton, was one of 200 volunteers who helped set up the tables, served food, cleared the dining table and took down the tables at the end of the day.

“Just look at the diversity,” he said, pointing to the table where people were eating. “This is a day when you can find a CEO sitting next to someone from a homeless shelter, eating and enjoying a conversation. This is what makes me proud to be from Dalton.”

Coker said volunteers began arriving about 9 a.m. to set things up. One of those volunteers was Ron Ward, who was there with his wife and daughter.

“We’ve been doing this every year since it started,” he said. “It really gives you a sense of community, seeing people from all walks of life eating together, talking with each other. It’s a great opportunity to serve.”

Yanet Velasquez brought her two children.

“I’ve wanted to come since the first one, but they were too young to come with me,” she said. “This year, we were all able to come. The food is great, and everyone is so friendly, talking to each other in the line, talking here at the table.”