As problematic of a fave holiday as it is, Thanksgiving food is still some of the best cuisine this young country has ever produced. While we’re still trying to figure out a few things that all the white people who stayed in Europe seem to have down pat — good bread, efficient rail systems, plentiful affordable housing — we do have systems in place to make sure everyone gets their turkey.
A number of Seattle-based organizations offer free meals for our low-income and unhoused neighbors. While plenty of them come packed in a cardboard box, a lot of them are actual meals where you actually sit down and share food with your fellow humans like whatever deity you believe or don’t believe in intended.
The Hall at Fauntleroy
One of the somewhat-rare, sit-down, day-of Thanksgiving dinners, the Hall at Fauntleroy is doing a proper feast for anyone who needs it. A West Seattle tradition, per the eponymous blog, this event is returning to in-person after a to-go only pandemic version. The hall itself is a beautiful, old schoolhouse, more typically used for weddings and soirees, so being able to dine-in again is definitely a plus. Also a plus is the menu, which — according to the Hall’s instagram — “is inspired by native ingredients gathered in the Pacific Northwest, and a tribute to indigenous cultivation practices.”
For our less needy readers, the Hall’s owners, DSquared Hospitality, are accepting clothing and dessert donations at their main offices in SODO (4101 Airport Way S) weekdays between 9 a.m. and 5 p.m., or at the Hall anytime after 9 a.m. on Thanksgiving.
9131 California Ave SW, noon–3 p.m., no RSVP required.
Bread of Life Mission
A Pioneer Square food security superstar, Bread of Life is also doing a day-of Thanksgiving meal. Their meal service is not sit-down. Instead, diners will receive their dinner packed to-go. It is completely free, but it’s worth noting that diners are asked to be sober to receive food.
97 S Main St., 1–3 p.m., early arrival recommended.
Chapel on the Ave
While Thanksgiving is all about celebrating abundance and eating to the point that the thought of future consumption is inconceivable, no one who has ever vowed to “never eat again” after a big Turkey Day feast has ever made good on it. Hunger doesn’t end when the holiday does. Luckily the Chapel on the Ave is giving out a “restaurant quality” Thanksgiving meal the day after.
4130 University Way NE, 5:30–7 p.m., food is given out in the alley behind the building, Friday, Nov. 25.
Community Lunch on Capitol Hill at All Pilgrims Church
As they do Monday through Friday every week, the Community Lunch on Capitol Hill program will serve on Thanksgiving. The program provides “hot, nutritious meals and survival services to hundreds of homeless and low-income people of Seattle” and posits that, “By sharing meals five times each week, we create community together.” What better day to do that than Thanksgiving? Unlike other days, All Pilgrims Church will be doing a proper Thanksgiving feast: turkey with all the fixings and a vegan version to boot. Food can be taken to-go or eaten there; it’s your call.
509 10th Ave. E, noon–1 p.m., open to all.
Salvation Army’s Temple Corps in North Seattle
Christmas isn’t the only holiday the Salvation Army gets down for. They’re offering a free lunch to anyone in need at their Ballard location on Thanksgiving Day.
9501 Greenwood Ave. N, 11 a.m.–1 p.m., just show up.
The Alajawan Brown Foundation at Talley High School
The Alajawan Brown Foundation continues its feast tradition with its annual Thanksgiving meal. The organization was birthed out of a memorial get together feast in honor of its namesake, who was gunned down at 12 years old in a random shooting. The Alajawan Brown Foundation promises “a holiday meal on Thanksgiving Day that includes food, family (old and new), fun and games.”
7800 S 132nd St., doors at 11 a.m., food noon–2 p.m., first-come, first-served, buffet style.
Tobias Coughlin-Bogue is the associate editor at Real Change.
Read more of the Nov. 23-29, 2022 issue.