Downriver Thanksgiving food drive supports community members

They lined up in the River Rouge High School parking lot, some of them waiting since midnight.

The seemingly never-ending line was continually replenished by a steady stream of cars dropping off folks eager to pick up holiday turkeys and other assorted foods Tuesday at the 25th annual All-Star Giveback: Thanksgiving Edition.

The giveaway was a star-studded affair made possible by high-profile folks from the sports, entertainment and political arenas including Detroit native and former all-state basketball player Tarence Wheeler, whose foundation has helped to spearhead the annual event; multi-platinum rapper Big Sean's Sean Anderson Foundation,  former NBA players Derrick Coleman, Willie Burton, Rick Mahorn, Earl Cureton, Grant Long, James “Buddha” Edwards; actor/author Hill Harper; former NFL players Herman Moore, Lomas Brown, Rob Sims and Calvin Johnson; Wayne County Executive Warren Evans, Wayne County Sheriff Ray Washington, Gov. Gretchen Whitmer and Lieutenant Gov. Garlin Gilchrist.

And give back they did.

The All-Star Giveback: Thanksgiving event couldn't have come at a better time. Food insecurity remains high across southeast Michigan, with residents turning out from Macomb to Monroe counties, and places in between.

"We know that hunger takes no days off, which is why we're out here in the rain and the cold but yet and still, we want to try to make sure we provide food for you every day, not just during Thanksgiving," Wheeler said. "Poverty itself is exhausting, it steals your joy, it has no ZIP code."

Volunteers handed out more than 3,000 turkeys; canned and boxed foods; bagged fruits and vegetables; and breads. A collaboration of corporations, school and government agencies, community organizations, and more came together to distribute food, including Marathon, the River Rouge School District, the Federal Bureau of Investigation, Comerica Bank and others.

Steven Gorny, 39, of Ecorse, has been attending this event for years and appreciates the support, he said.

"This means I get to give my family dinner. It's a very good thing and I hope many other families get to give people dinner," Gorny said.

Gilchrist stopped by the event and helped distribute food to community members.

"It's important for me to be here and I wanted to show people that the entire state of Michigan, we support everybody having the resources they need to be their best to thrive," Gilchrist said.

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Organizers help support residents' overall needs, include utilities and renters' assistance, human trafficking prevention and more with the community partners present, Wheeler said.

Food supplies were donated from event sponsors and from individuals, including Mike's Fresh Market, former Pistons player Rasheed Wallace, and more, Wheeler said.

Dion Patterson, of River Rouge, said he lacks transportation services and the event provided him an accessible means to get food support.

"The way the economy is now, this is good. ... It's good for the neighborhood," Patterson said.

This event marks a key opportunity to support community members who are struggling.

"Holidays, for as much as they're a time of celebration for some people, it's a time of challenge and sorrow for a lot of people," Gilchrist said. "It's important that people know that they're seen.

"It's important that people know that they don't have to go through things alone."

This article originally appeared on Detroit Free Press: 25th annual Thanksgiving food drive serves metro Detroiters