“Everybody Eats” annual dinner feeds at least 300

Hundreds of people attended the annual “Everybody Eats” Thanksgiving meal today at Stephen’s College.

The event is put on by Almeta Crayton’s community program, and this marks the 18th year the dinner has been served in Columbia.

Organizers told ABC17 there were 150 volunteers, and the dinner took three months to plan. Turkey, pumpkin pie and other Thanksgiving favorites were served from 11 a.m. to 2 p.m.

“Everybody Eats” was founded by the late Almeta Crayton, who represented Columbia’s first ward on the City Council for nearly a decade.

Her brother, Anthony Crayton, traveled from St. Louis to attend and said he felt “proud” to honor his sister’s legacy.

“Her work is still going on, and we love it,” Crayton said.

Volunteers of all ages lent a helping hand, and many remember Almeta for her kindness.

“Almeta worked at my junior high, when I was in junior high. And when I found out they were doing this in honor of her and that she kind of helped create this and wanted to bring the community together, I really wanted to be apart of that,” Daisha Ganaway, a volunteer and student at Stephen’s College told ABC17.

Organizers said the event was a success and thanked the community for their support.