25 Detroit Families Getting Free Christmas Dinners From AT&T

DETROIT, MI — Twenty-five Detroit families will receive a free special holiday meal this season, thanks to the initiatives of AT&T.

As part of the company’s Believe Detroit initiative, more than 30 employee volunteers will package and seal food and then help load into into vehicles of the families being served Thursday.

The 25 families receiving the food were identified by the Rev. Charles Williams II, president of the National Action Network Michigan, who will be on hand for the event.

“The holidays are supposed to be a wonderful time of year but it’s often an especially stressful time for those who are struggling to get by,” said Williams, who also is pastor of Detroit’s Historic King Solomon Baptist Church. “Everyone wants to be able to provide their family with a nice Christmas and some people need a little help to make that happen. Our hope is to help make that possible for the families here today. I know these people and I’m certain a nice Christmas meal will help bring joy to their homes this holiday season.”

The cost of Thursday’s meal giveaway is being covered by AT&T, with food being provided by Forgotten Harvest – a Detroit-based charitable organization committed to fighting hunger and food waste in the community. Six days a week, Forgotten Harvest delivers more than 138,000 pounds of surplus food to local charities throughout Detroit, providing families in need with fresh and nutritious food free of charge.

NBA Legend and Forgotten Harvest Board Member Derrick Coleman, a native of Detroit, will also be in attendance for Thursday’s holiday meal giveaway.

“Every little bit of good you can do for your neighbors makes a difference during the holiday season,” Coleman said. “These families here today deserve a nice Christmas just like everyone else, and hopefully the work we’re doing today can help make that happen.”

Thursday’s effort is part of AT&T’s “Believe Detroit” initiative, a community engagement project aimed at helping promote educational opportunities, academic achievement and a path to self-sufficiency for the Detroit community.

“The holiday season is a season for giving, and we take that to heart here at AT&T,” said AT&T Michigan President David Lewis. “It’s also a time for families to come together and simply enjoy being in the company of their loved ones, and my hope is these dinners will help to provide these families with those sorts of moments. Every family should have the opportunity to sit down a share a nice meal over the holidays, and I’m proud of AT&T and all the employee volunteers here today helping to provide that opportunity for these families.”

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