Photo: Debby Hudson | Unsplash
"Mr. Thanksgiving," aka Bob Vogelbaugh, hosted his first free Thanksgiving dinner in 1970. At the time, he was a grocery store owner and learned that one of his elderly customers was planning to spend the holiday alone. Determined that no one should spend the holiday alone, he unwittingly started a tradition that would last 50 plus years. Vogelbaugh is no longer in the grocery business, but he still hosts a Thanksgiving dinner for thousands in the Quad Cities area of Illinois. The Hy-Vee grocery chain now does the cooking and Vogelbaugh does a lot of fundraising for the event. This year, over 3,000 people received meals from a drive-through line a concession to the pandemic. "This isn't a charity dinner; it's a community dinner. We've served millionaires, we've served families in need and everyone in between. Anyone and I do mean anyone is welcome," Vogelbaugh said about the event.
|
|
More:
