Exclusive: Feast of Giving returns to Dayton after 5-year hiatus, led by local business leaders
Dayton’s Feast of Giving is making a return after a five-year hiatus, led by two prominent, local leaders. The duo behind the revival are bringing back the tradition, and with it, free Thanksgiving meals for the community.
The 2025 Feast of Giving will be hosted at the Dayton Convention Center on Thanksgiving Day: Thursday, Nov. 27 from 11 a.m. to 2 p.m.
Behind the iconic event
When Elder-Beerman founder Arthur Beerman suffered a heart attack in 1969, the outpouring of community support inspired him and his wife to host a free Thanksgiving dinner. Although he passed away before the second dinner, his family continued the tradition for decades through the Beerman Foundation.
Nearly 40 years later, the foundation ended the annual meal to focus on other charitable work, but community leaders quickly stepped in to carry it forward as the “Feast of Giving”.
Hundreds of local volunteers – from cooks to entertainers – helped serve thousands of guests at the Dayton Convention Center. Local businesses and organizations also stepped in to provide food, funding and services. At its peak, the iconic event rested among the largest, free Thanksgiving meals in the country.
From 2009 onward, the Feast of Giving served as many as 8,000 meals annually. Although its original premise was to serve food, the event evolved into much more – ensuring no one spends Thanksgiving alone.
However, in 2020, the beloved community event was abruptly halted due to the pandemic.
It remained that way for nearly half a decade.
While the longstanding tradition had not been active in some time, locals and those in need still showed up on the day, hoping the doors might open once again. Over the years, Miami Valley meals and Simple Street Ministries partnered to fill a much-needed gap, but the hole in the community remained present.
Now, the sleeping tradition has been resurrected under the leadership of two prominent business leaders.
Feast of Giving’s long-awaited return: A new chapter
Shane Connor – managing partner of Windancer Holdings and founder and managing partner of Huffman Prairie Holdings – and Jason Woodard – principal at Woodard Development – have joined forces as co-chairs to bring The Feast of Giving back to Dayton.
Approached individually, Connor and Woodard admitted their initial reluctance to tackle the execution of such a large, beloved community event. However, Woodard said the prospective impact of the event’s revival was undeniable.
Connor shared he was inspired by the many stories of volunteers and those who lead the event over its long history.
“I think we were probably both a little apprehensive at first – maybe intimidated – but after hearing those stories, we both felt it was something that needed to come back,” Connor said.
Dayton’s Feast of Giving returns after 5-year hiatus – Dayton Business Journal