TRAVERSE CITY -- An annual day-before-Thanksgiving dinner for local residents in need will not be held this year so funds to operate the meal can be diverted to other uses.
For 15 years, the Father Fred Foundation hosted a community meal the night before Thanksgiving to help low-income families celebrate the holiday.
But fewer guests and a new crop of such meals took a toll on the event in recent years. Organizers last year planned for 300 and 180 attended.
About $2,000 typically spent to put on the event will be used for the foundation's cash assistance program, helping people facing utility shutoffs and other emergency needs, Executive Director Martie Manty posted on the foundation's Web site.
