DENVER — To ensure that 5,000 families around the Denver metro area have a Thanksgiving meal, the Denver Feed-A-Family program is asking for the public's support through donations and volunteering.
The program has continued the legacy of “Daddy Bruce” Randolph, which began almost 60 years ago. Randolph, a philanthropist and business owner, started Feed-A-Family, which has been continued through the Epworth Foundation.
He moved to Denver in the 1950s and opened Daddy Bruce’s BBQ as a gathering spot, a place to grab a quick bite, and an opportunity to get a free meal for those in need. In his first year there — 1963 — he decided he wanted to feed 5,000 people. And so the Daddy Bruce Thanksgiving Food Distribution was born.
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Randolph died in 1994 and his restaurant, Daddy Bruce’s BBQ, closed soon after. But his giving spirit lives on in the community that he helped.
Each year, volunteers hand out turkey baskets, which include trimmings and other food to feed an entire family. This year, the event will take place at 1865 Bruce Randolph Avenue in Denver on Nov. 19.
Supply chain shortages over the past couple years have challenged the program.
In 2021, the Epworth Foundation handed out 7,500 Walmart gift cards in lieu of the baskets because of food supply constraints.
This year, the foundation has a goal of bringing the tradition back and handing out 5,000 Thanksgiving baskets. Each basket costs about $50 and feeds a family of eight.
“The heartbeat of Daddy Bruce continues to thrive in the community this Thanksgiving with the distribution of baskets in honor of his legacy,” said Epworth Foundation Elder King Harris.
Denver Feed-A-Family is looking for support via financial donations and volunteers to help sort through, assemble and distribute the Thanksgiving baskets. It has provided food for tens of thousands of families along the Front Range, according to the foundation.
Click here to make a donation or volunteer.