Free Community Thanksgiving Meals Prepared on Campus

DUBUQUE, Iowa - Turkeys were roasted, stuffing was made, and potatoes were diced as volunteers helped prepare food in the University of Dubuque's Barbara and Jack Smeltzer Dining Hall in Peters Commons on Wednesday, November 27, 2024, as part of an effort coordinated by the Community Foundation of Greater Dubuque to serve free meals the following day to anyone who needed a place at the table, a warm meal, and fellowship for the Thanksgiving holiday.

The Community Foundation of Greater Dubuque banded together hundreds of volunteers as well as local nonprofits, businesses, colleges, and churches to keep the tradition of a free community Thanksgiving meal alive after the Ginter family, who had provided free meals for decades, retired from the effort.

Andrew Mettert, director of UD Dining Services, was asked if he would be willing to help prepare food for the meals that were served at multiple locations throughout Dubuque. He agreed, stating, "The food was the easy part."

Mettert fondly recalled the handful of times he met the late Donna Ginter.

"To me, it was amazing that she took on an event this size every year, making sure that people in our community who were unable to have a Thanksgiving meal were taken care of," he said. "When Donna passed in 2013, I was glad to hear that this event was still talking place. This year, I was approached by the community foundation asking if UD could help support the continuance of the event. It seemed that there was the possibility it would not happen moving forward. I felt it would create a hole for many on Thanksgiving Day without this event - from those who received meals to those who made a tradition of helping prepare and serve those meals. I wanted to do my part in keeping this event from disappearing."

Volunteers from the UD community and beyond helped prepare food the day before Thanksgiving and helped package the meals on Thanksgiving. Shea Chapin, JD, head of the Department of Criminal Justice and assistant professor of criminal justice, was one of those volunteers. She cut pies into individual servings on Wednesday morning.

"Helping others is as innate as breathing and praying," Chapin said. "In our family, we express love through food; when we love you, we feed you. This was the perfect opportunity to permeate love through our community."