How to Get a Free Thanksgiving Dinner Near Me in 2022

When I’m looking for a free Thanksgiving dinner near me, I know that I need to consider all the options: hot congregate meals, pick-up meals, delivery meals, and even free groceries.

We’ve found a TON of options to help you find a free holiday meal in your area.

Get Free Groceries

The best free Thanksgiving dinner near me is the one that happens in my very own home! I love to cook, so I’m always thrilled when I find ways to get free groceries that I can use to prepare my own holiday meal.

Get a FREE turkey & more with Ibotta!

Ibotta is back with their annual FREE Thanksgiving dinner promotion this year! You can get a FREE Butterball turkey and several sides when you shop with the Ibotta app this year! Download Ibotta now.

Starting November 1, 2022, Ibotta users will be able to redeem offers for:

• FREE Butterball Turkey (up to $14 value)
• FREE Bob Evans Original Mashed Potatoes (24 ounce)
• FREE Jiffy Corn Muffin Mix (8.5 ounce)
• FREE McCormick Gravy Mix (0.87 ounce)
• FREE Kuner’s Green Beans (14.5 ounce)

New users will be able to redeem the offers right away. Existing users can redeem these offers as well but they will need to follow a process in order to be able to redeem the offers. There’s more info available in the app.

Food Banks

Many food banks offer free Thanksgiving boxes that include the essentials needed to help you cook a Thanksgiving dinner at home. Each food bank handles things a little differently, so you’ll need to ask your local food bank how to get a free Thanksgiving dinner near you.

Many food pantries will provide a free Thanksgiving turkey, as well as some essential side dishes like potatoes, canned cranberry sauce, stuffing and green beans. Some food banks offer grocery store vouchers for free turkeys instead.

Of course, each of these programs is very local and dependent on donations. It is important to contact your local food bank in advance to see what they are able to offer.

These are the food banks we’ve been able to confirm for the 2022 season. If you don’t see one in your area, please contact your local 211 service for additional assistance.

TN, Rogersville – At least 1,000 food boxes will be available on the Saturday before Thanksgiving from a cooperative effort between People Loving People, Of One Accord, and the Second Harvest Food Bank. You must apply in advance at the Emergency Services Food Pantry in Church Hill. Applications are accepted on-site on Mondays, Wednesdays and Fridays between 10am and 1pm.

Free Thanksgiving Dinner Near Me

If you’re looking for a hot meal in your area, then there are other resources that you may be interested in. Some of these offerings may be congregate meals or pick-up meals, depending on what is offered in your area.

Catholic Charities

Catholic Charities is one of my go-to sources when I’m looking for free Thanksgiving dinner near me. This organization operates nationwide and offers a lot of different low income assistance programs.

However, their offerings vary widely depending on their locations. Some areas offer free Thanksgiving food boxes, others offer free hot meals. It just depends on where you live.

Salvation Army

The Salvation Army also operates nationwide and may offer a free Thanksgiving dinner near you. Depending on where you live, it may be a hot meal or a box of groceries.

Of course, if you need help with Christmas assistance, then the Salvation Army is a great resource for that, too! Their local Angel Tree programs help a lot of low income children.

St. Vincent de Paul

This is another nationwide organization that provides assistance during the holiday season. You may be able to get a food box or a hot meal or even a gift card so that you can enjoy a free Thanksgiving dinner near you.

It does appear that most St. Vincent de Paul chapters provide food boxes, but some choose to distribute holiday assistance in other means.

Local Soup Kitchens & Meal Sites

Soup kitchens and congregate meal sites are another great reliable place that I look for free Thanksgiving dinner near me. However, many programs have changed drastically as a result of the pandemic so it’s important to call ahead and confirm the details before you make the trip.

We’ve included as many as we could verify below. Please reach out to United Way’s 211 service to find organizations in your area that provide free holiday meals. If you find some that aren’t on our list, please let us know!

CA, Menifee – A free Thanksgiving dinner will be held on Thanksgiving Day at Kay Ceniceros Senior Center. Reservations are required and there are three seating times available: 11:30am, 1:30pm, 3:30pm.

ID, Kamiah – Several Kamiah area churches and volunteers are teaming up to offer a free Thanksgiving dinner. You’ll need to call ahead to reserve your meal before Monday, November 23. It will include turkey, stuffing, mashed potatoes and gravy, cranberry sauce, green beans, a dinner roll and pie.

FL, Crystal River – Crystal River First Baptist Church will serve a free Thanksgiving dinner between 12pm and 3pm on November 24. No reservations are required, but guests are encouraged to call ahead to help organizers know how much food to prepare.

MO, New Bloomfield – A free Thanksgiving dinner will be served on November 24 between 11am and 2pm at the New Bloomfield United Methodist Church Fellowship Hall. Transportation assistance may be available.

PA, Pittsburgh – The Addiction Recovery Ministry of Pittsburgh offers a free Thanksgiving dinner for those suffering from substance abuse, those in recovery and their loved ones.

SC, Murrells Inlet – The Low Country Community Church is hosting a Thanksgiving Dinner on Thanksgiving Day between 12pm and 3pm.

Free Thanksgiving Dinner at Restaurants

Sometimes, I’ve even been able to find a free Thanksgiving dinner near me from a local restaurant! It’s really incredible that some generous restaurant owners have chosen to offer this.

I’ll include all the free Thanksgiving dinners I can find from local restaurants below. Please call ahead to confirm the details.

Adams Breezy Hill Farm Restaurant (Princeton, KY)

Adams Breezy Hill Farm Restaurant in Princeton KY is offering a free thanksgiving meal on Thanksgiving Day between 5pm and 7pm. The restaurant asks that you make a reservation in advance. Delivery may be available for local people who can’t get to the restaurant.

Scout (Flower Mound, TX)

Scout is a new sports-themed restaurant in Flower Mound River Walk. They will serve free Thanksgiving dinners between 11am and 3pm on Thanksgiving Day. You’ll need to call ahead to reserve your meal. The meal will include a complete Thanksgiving feast. Reservations are required by November 18.

Toasthouse Coffee (Patchogue, NY)

Toasthouse Coffee is hosting it’s fourth annual Toast-Giving Thanksgiving Dinner. This is a sit-down dinner event, but takeout is available to those who cannot sit down due to health reasons. Live music will be provided by John Sparling and Anthony Pravata of the Om-en Duet.

You must RSVP in advance. There is a limit of one meal per person. You must fill out the form that is found on this announcement page and submit it.

When Pigs Fly Barbeque (Fairlea, WV)

When Pigs Fly Barbeque has offered free Thanksgiving dinners for eight years. The event will be held between 12pm and 4pm on November 24, 2022, at the Blue Ribbon Center at the Fairgrounds.

The meal includes smoked turkey, dressing, mashed potatoes and gravy, green beans, sweet potatoes, cranberry salad, pumpkin pie and the trimmings. No paperwork is required. Just show up and eat. Delivery may be available to disabled and elderly community members if volunteer drivers are available.

Home Delivered Thanksgiving Dinners

Seniors and disabled people may be eligible for home delivery! Meals on Wheels and similar programs deliver meals to those who are elderly, disabled and/or unable to prepare their own meals at home.

If you need help with Thanksgiving dinner and can’t travel to a free Thanksgiving dinner near you, please contact your local Area Agency on Aging for assistance locating a delivery program in your area.

In most cases, the meals that are delivered will be cold upon arrival. They are made in advance and delivered before the holiday so that you can heat them up in the microwave at your convenience.

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Nicole Thelin

Nicole is the owner and lead researcher for Low Income Relief. She has over 20 years of professional research and writing experience, and she has been solely dedicated to investigating low income topics for the last 10 years. Nicole started Low Income Relief after a personal experience with poverty. When her husband was medically discharged from the US Army, their family experienced tremendous financial hardship. Nicole was able to gather help from multiple community agencies and move into a nearby low income housing unit in just two weeks! Since then, Nicole has been dedicated to helping low income families in crisis. She regularly spends hundreds of hours combing through countless resources to make sure that Low Income Relief has the most comprehensive and complete resource directories on the internet today. Prior to starting Low Income Relief, Nicole worked as a novelist, journalist, ghostwriter and content creator. Her work has been featured in various print and online publications, including USA Today, The Daily Herald, The Chronicle and more. Her work has also been featured by Google for Publishers and other leading industry publications.