A Reason to be Thankful

This week, most of us turn our thoughts to food and family. But for many in the LGBT community, Thanksgiving is a lonely time. Some LGBT individuals don’t have the support of a welcoming family during the holidays. In fact, many people not just LGBTs, want to come together to share food and conversation. Sometimes they do it for a good cause.

Jennifer Willett came to this realization and created her own alternative Thanksgiving to provide a caring and accepting place for individuals in our community to spend the holiday. Willett’s Alternative Thanksgiving began as a personal way to celebrate the holiday after work commitments made it difficult for her to travel back home to Indiana and spend time with her family. However, it has evolved over the years into something more than a substitute event.

Last year Willett’s home overflowed, and she realized that the need for this type of event was growing. So she decided to expand the occasion into something bigger then her home could hold. Willett was inspired by her involvement as an volunteer with Food Not Bombs, a grassroots movement against war and poverty. She is also a member of the Unitarian Universalist Church of Buffalo. When combined with more need, a good cause, and a great space to host her event, the evolution was complete: Alternative Thanksgiving would now be a community-wide vegetarian potluck to raise awareness and provide a family meal for those who wished to join in. Willett hopes to create an event that brings together people with similar aspirations, who, in the spirit of shared work and shared rewards, celebrate the generosity of the season while sharing good food and having a great time.

This year’s event takes place on Friday, November 28, 2008, 4:30-8:30pm at the Unitarian Universalist Church of Buffalo, 695 Elmwood Avenue in Buffalo’s Elmwood Village. Guests are asked to bring one potluck dish that serves eight people and label it vegan or vegetarian. Cash and food donations will be accepted for Food Not Bombs at the event. For more information or to RSVP, you can contact Willett: jwillitrain@yahoo.com or 832-3052.

—bryan whitley-grassi