FIVE Bar to host free Thanksgiving for charity
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While a completely free Thanksgiving feast may sound too good to be true, FIVE Restaurant and Bar is preparing to give away a meal to hundreds this Thursday.
Located on Hull Street in downtown Athens, FIVE is partnering with Project Safeand VIP Unlimited to throw a Thanksgiving event benefitting domestic violence awareness in Athens.
Hosted on Thanksgiving day from 11 a.m. to 4 p.m., the event will offer a free meal consisting of turkey, dressing, mashed potatoes with gravy, a vegetable dish and a dessert. Volunteers are encouraged to help with the event, and can participate in a variety of ways, from greeting guests to serving food or even helping to bus the tables.
“It’s a great opportunity for people who don’t have the means to provide a full Thanksgiving meal for their family,” said Dane Henderson, general manager of FIVE. “We are very fortunate to have a successful restaurant and to operate in a really awesome community that cares a lot about its less fortunate members.”
This year will be the second year that FIVE has hosted a free Thanksgiving meal to the Athens community. Last year, the restaurant served over 400 plates of food at the event. This year, the restaurant’s goal is to double last year’s amount.
Last year’s event benefited Extra Special People, a Watkinsville-based organization that works with children with disabilities and their families. The event raised over $2,400 total for the charity.
Last year’s feast featured volunteers from the entire Athens community, FIVE staff members and their families, many of whom will be returning to help out again this year.
“Last year, my parents volunteered with me,” said Emily Harger, a bartender at FIVE. “It was humbling for all of us and reminded us what Thanksgiving is all about — giving back and being thankful for what you have.”
This year, the event will raise funds and awareness for Project Safe, a local nonprofit organization that works towards ending domestic violence through a number of support systems and educational programs.
Additionally, FIVE is partnering with VIP Unlimited, an accessory brand that employs survivors of domestic abuse to make leather ponytail ties.
For FIVE, providing a free dining experience complete with good service and delicious food is the best way it can give back to the Athens community.
“Even if [families] can’t cook their own meals, I want to facilitate that for them,” said Joseph Houston III, the head chef at FIVE. “I’m from Athens, so any chance I have to give back to my community makes me feel great.”
The event is open to everyone, and donations will be accepted on behalf of Project Safe.
