A college classmate's hospitality in 1972 motivated free Thanksgiving meals decades later
In 1972, Ziyad Samara came from Israel's West Bank to the United States for college. Alone in a new country, at Thanksgiving, he looked for a place to have dinner.
A classmate invited him to join his family's gathering of 25-35 siblings, grandparents, aunts and uncles.
"It was a nice feeling," Samara said. "I was very impressed. Since that day, it stuck in my mind how people can really get together, have fun, love each other, and have a good atmosphere."
Nearly 30 years later, that memory of seeing people enjoying turkey with all the trimmings, playing Scrabble and Yahtzee, and having fun stuck with him when he decided in 2001 to do something special on Thanksgiving at his Sgt. Pepper's Cafe on Stevenson Drive.
He opened his doors that day and served customers a Thanksgiving dinner as repayment to Springfield and provide a sense of humanity on a day of giving thanks.
"Why not?" Samara said. "Why not just be a normal person who can help people have a dinner without having to pay for it and enjoy themselves? (You) can come here, eat, and go home. When I saw that family in '72, I had a good feeling because I went there, had a good dinner, talked to them and because I was fresh coming off the boat, people would talk to me.
They asked me questions like, 'Do you have things like this?' I said, 'Yes, of course we do.' Family is important in any country, I don't care where you are. Family is very important."
Samara will once again provide free Thanksgiving Day dinners at Sgt. Pepper's from 11 a.m.-2 p.m. Turkey and stuffing, mashed potatoes and gravy, sweet potatoes, cranberry sauce, a vegetable, bread, and dessert are on the menu.
The meal is available for dine-in or carry-out by calling (217) 525-5939. Carry-out orders are limited to two per person and must be reserved by Nov. 22.
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Samara said that turnout depends on weather conditions. About 400 people showed up for a normal Tuesday last week at Sgt. Pepper's, with sunny and relatively mild temperatures, so if the weather on Turkey Day is good, he thinks he'll see a good crowd.
"Because the weather's nice, some people go out," Samara said. "If we have a storm (or) it's snowing (or) it's cold, people are afraid to get sick, which I don't blame them."
Samara said he'll offer the last few dine-in customers the option of taking home some of the leftover food. He cooks about 12 turkeys, enough to feed everyone who passes through, and may prepare an extra one in case things get busy.
"Sometimes, you just have that instinct, so we'll do 13," Samara said.
Every year, he looks forward to welcoming people into his restaurant for the holiday meal but instead of telling him thank you, Samara encourages diners to offer a "God bless you."
Here are several other Springfield locations offering free meals on Thanksgiving.
Central Baptist Church
Central Baptist Church, located at 501 South 4th Street, will host their annual "Feast of Plenty" on Thanksgiving Day from 12-1:30 p.m., with free meals provided either dine-in, takeout, or delivery.
Call the church at (217) 523-3639 or email them at office@cbcchurchfamily.org for a meal. Reservations for delivery will be taken until noon Wednesday. No reservations will be accepted on Thanksgiving Day.
The church is also looking for volunteers to help serve the event. Those interested can log on to cbcchurchfamily.churchcenter.com to sign up or provide a financial contribution.
St. John's Breadline
The St. John's Breadline at 430 North 5th Street will be open from 10:30 a.m.-1:30 p.m. serving Thanksgiving dinner with all the trimmings including turkey and dressing, green beans, mashed potatoes and gravy, sweet potatoes, cranberry sauce, pasta salad, fruit and a dessert.
People must be present at the Breadline in order to receive the meal.
For more information, call the Breadline at (217) 528-6098.
More: Popular downtown bakery opens location on Springfield's west side in time for Black Friday
Central Illinois Foodbank and Friend in Deed
The Central Illinois Foodbank and Friend in Deed will provide Thanksgiving boxes on Monday, Nov. 20 at 4 p.m. at the Foodbank's headquarters, 1937 East Cook Street, complete with a turkey, macaroni and cheese, baking mix, chicken gravy and cream of mushroom soup, mixed vegetables, creamed corn and a pumpkin pie, among other items.
No sign-up is required before arriving as the meals are first-come, first-serve. The foodbank has put a limit of two household meals per vehicle.
For more information on the event, contact the foodbank at (217) 522-4022.
ContactZach Roth at (217) 899-4338 or email him at ZDRoth@gannett.com.
This article originally appeared on State Journal-Register: Looking for a free Thanksgiving meal? Here's where you can find them
