The guest list has grown, but there is room for everyone at Friends for Dinner.
The Sunday night fixture at 5 p.m. in downtown Bancroft has welcomed community members for several years, and volunteers are busy getting ready to celebrate a big Thanksgiving meal.
Volunteer Kevin Taylor said humble beginnings with a small group have grown into multi-tent set-ups with heaters and lamps, upwards of 120 people at the tables.
The only constant is that everyone is welcome to break bread and share in the spirit, Taylor said.
“Bring your heart. If you can, bring a dish, because it is a potluck. But if you can’t bring a dish, just come and be part of it.”
Taylor said this get together will mark 107 Sundays in a row.
And like many Sunday dinners, Taylor says the meal is equal parts therapy and sustenance.
“It’s something that’s for the community to just come together, have dinner with people you wouldn’t normally ever associate with, or have dinner with (and) meet new people of all walks of life.”
Taylor said some dinner guests struggle with poverty and loneliness. Some are unhoused, and “a whole bunch” come from seniors’ apartments.
“So it’s a great combination and it’s just been fantastic.”
Taylor noted in a social media post that the community has done their part to help.
At the grocery store recently, a woman walked up to him with a $100 bill, so he went and bought two turkeys and a ham. Another man handed him $20 in the parking lot.
Other messages were sent about donated pies and fresh squash from the garden.
Taylor is still looking for volunteers for Sunday.
You can reach him at the Friends for Dinner Facebook page.
