Hartford Families Thankful for Free Thanksgiving Dinner at YMCA

More than 100 people gathered in Hartford for a community Thanksgiving dinner offering free meals.

As trays are opened and hot food is being served, people are grateful to enjoy a Thanksgiving meal.

“It feels so good. It’s a blessing. Many countries don’t have this place but thank God we have it,” Felachy Valdez, who lives in Middletown, said.

The food got rave reviews. More than 100 people gathered at the Walter Gray YMCA Center in Hartford Tuesday where free Thanksgiving meals were being offered, bringing families together.

“We’re having a good time socializing and getting to know one another,” Shamia Cannon, who lives in East Hartford, said.

The free meals also bringing relief to household budgets with inflation driving up the price of groceries.

“It’s very expensive. It’s hard to make a decision. Do you have to buy food and where is your next meal going to come from? So it’s tough,” Cannon said.

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This comes as the American Farm Bureau Federation reported a classic Thanksgiving feast for 10 has jumped up 20% from last year. Despite this obstacle, YMCA staff say they got more donations for the Thanksgiving dinner than they anticipated.

“All the work that we do day in and day out, there are individuals out here that want to help tap into that and they want to play an intricate role in investing in our communities," said Valencia Williams, executive director of the YMCA.

Williams says the meals have been offered since the center opened in 2009 with this year being the first in-person event since the pandemic. She believes the connections with the wider community have allowed the center to sustain support.

“Wilson Gray is seen as a safe haven, a hub to the north end of Hartford, so for families, this is their extended family,” Williams said.

A family where parents are thankful to not worry about providing dinner for at least a night.

“All taken care of. Dinner is taken care of for today,” Cannon said.