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Third Annual Feast  of Giving set Thursday

The event, which replaced the Beerman tradition downtown, is free for all.

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By Mark Fisher, Staff Writer Updated 7:37 PM Wednesday, November 23, 2011

DAYTON — The 3rd Annual Feast of Giving Thanksgiving Day dinner will be offered from 11 a.m. to 2 p.m. today at the Dayton Convention Center, 215 E. Fifth St., downtown.

No tickets are needed for this year’s event. Free parking will be available at the convention center garage. Free bus transportation will be provided by the Greater Dayton Regional Transit Authority from 10:30 a.m. to 3 p.m. There is no cost for the meal or for admission to the Feast of Giving.

“We encourage people to come out and join us in celebrating great food, wonderful friends and a strong community,” said Chris Riegel, CEO of Dayton-based STRATACACHE, a privately owned digital signage and video company, which joined ABC 22 & Fox 45 Dayton’s News Source; Dermatologists of Southwest Ohio; and Lastar Inc., a Moraine-based manufacturer of low-voltage cabling and connectivity solutions, to organize the Thanksgiving Day event.

Organizers said the Feast — which began in 2009 as a replacement for the annual Beerman-sponsored Thanksgiving dinner that had been a Dayton tradition for 40 years — is designed to provide a traditional-style Thanksgiving meal at no charge for anyone who might be spending the holiday alone, those who are homeless or less fortunate, or for anyone who wants to attend.

STRATACACHE officials said this year’s dinner will feature one ton of turkey; 1,250 gallons of gravy; 15 cases of cranberry sauce; 667 dozen dinner rolls; 1,000 pies; and 1,500 pounds of coleslaw, green beans, potatoes and stuffing.

Many items are donated and more than 500 volunteers help make the event happen, organizers said.

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