For many, this time of year is filled with warmth, laughter, and, of course, delicious food. However, not everyone has the means to enjoy a festive meal, especially after recent cuts to food assistance programs that people rely on for support. In this bonus blog post, we’re going to explore free Thanksgiving and Christmas meals in Washtenaw County.
Thanksgiving Assistance
- Faith in Action (Chelsea/Dexter) provides Thanksgiving food baskets for qualifying clients. Call (734) 475-3305 for the Chelsea office, or (734) 426-7002 for the Dexter office to learn more.
- Saline Social Service Inc. provides Thanksgiving food baskets for residents of the Saline school district. Call (734) 429-4570 for more information.
Thanksgiving Meals
- November 19th: Turkey Dinner On Us (4:30-6:30pm @ Emanuel Church Manchester)
- November 20th: Thankful To Go: Drive-Thru Thanksgiving Meals (10:00am until supplies last @ George Gervin GameAbove Center). Limit one giveaway per car.
- November 21st: Don Cole Community Thanksgiving Lunch (noon @ Chelsea Senior Center)- registration required by 11/7!
- November 26th: Grab & Go Thanksgiving Dinners (9:00am-11:00am or until supplies last @ Hope Clinic)
- November 27th: Thanksgiving to go Meals (noon-2:00pm @ Delonis Center)
- November 27th: Take-Away Thanksgiving Meal (5:00=6:00pm @ Hope Clinic)
- November 27th: Free Thanksgiving Meal (11:30am-1:30pm @ Chelsea Hospital). Registration required by 11/20. Call the Chelsea Senior Center for more information or to RSVP (734) 475-9242.
November 27th November 28th: Community Thanksgiving (noon-5pm @ Stone Chalet)– registration closed!
Holiday Meal Sales (some of these deals run from Thanksgiving to Christmas!). If you order online, you can add everything directly to your cart.
- ALDI is advertising a Thanksgiving meal for 10 people for $40 (sale runs 10/15/25-12/24/25). Note: This is not a bagged to-go meal, but rather a store-wide sale.
- Amazon is advertising a Thanksgiving meal for 5 people for $25 (sale runs 11/2/25-11/27/25). Note: This is not a bagged to-go meal, but rather a site-wide sale. This is offered through Amazon Fresh, which you do not need a subscription to use.
- Kroger is advertising a Thanksgiving meal for 10 people for under $5/person (no sale dates mentioned, call your local store for more information).
- Target is advertising a Thanksgiving meal for 4 people for $20 (sale runs 11/16/25-11/29/25).
- Walmart is advertising a Thanksgiving meal for 10 people for under $4/person (sale runs 10/20/25-12/26/25). Note: This is not a bagged to-go meal, but rather a store-wide sale. First-time Pickup & Delivery customers qualify for free express delivery on the holiday meal.
- Walmart is also advertising a Gluten-free Thanksgiving meal for under $50 (sale runs 10/20/25-12/26/25). Note: This is not a bagged to-go meal, but rather a store-wide sale.
Christmas Meals
While it’s a little early for 2025’s Christmas meals to be announced, the following agencies offered meals in 2024:
- Food Gatherers Community Kitchen/Delonis Center (734) 996-3052
- Hope Clinic (734) 484-2989
- Chelsea Hospital/Chelsea Senior Center (734) 475-9242
As a reminder, if you need extra help with food outside of holidays, there are lots of agencies working to fill the gap left by SNAP/food stamps. You can learn more in this blog post.
Happy Holidays!