As many of you know, our annual Thanksgiving initiative is one of the most meaningful things we do all year.
This tradition actually began long before Gamers Guild opened its doors, with one of our owners, and over the years GG took up that mantle and helped carry it forward. Last year, that combined effort resulted in over 350 people being fed for free. That is something we are genuinely proud of. At the same time, we’ve hit a point where we need to be honest about scale, impact, and sustainability.
The logistics of cooking and serving Thanksgiving for 350+ people were immense. It took a huge amount of labor, coordination, money, and follow through. And while we deeply value the time we all share together on that day, we also know something important:
If we took that same budget and donated it directly to St. Mary’s Food Bank, right up the street from us, it could help feed roughly 16,000 people in need. That matters.
So this year, we do not want to lose our special Thanksgiving time together, but we also believe we may have outgrown the way we’ve handled it in the past. Our hope for this year is to evolve the tradition into a community Thanksgiving Potluck, supported by a volunteer planning committee.
The goal is simple:
We still come together. We still share food, games, and community. We still protect what makes this tradition special. And whatever portion of the budget we do not need for the event, we donate directly to St. Mary’s Food Bank.
Imagine This: If 350 people come together for the potluck this year, not only do we still get our shared feast and time with one another, but together we also help feed an enormous number of people through direct charitable impact.
We know this creates time, effort, and food stress for those who choose to participate. We want to acknowledge that directly, and thank you now for even considering it.
It is our hope that many of you will help us shepherd this tradition into a brighter, bigger future, where on one of the most meaningful days of the year, we are able to do the most good, together.
We are currently looking for volunteers to help with:
If you are interested in helping shape this into reality, please fill out the survey below:
https://s.surveyplanet.com/03fc3lfi
We're excited to start planning this monumental potluck, and our survey will close April 21st at 9PM.
If you already know you want to be part of the planning side, you may also reach out directly at:
ThanksgivingCharity@GamersGuildUSA.com
