By Lee DeVito | Metro Times | November 18, 2021

Those in need can get free Thanksgiving meals prepared by some of the most acclaimed chefs in Detroit.

The fourth annual Full Plates, Full Hearts event expects to provide up to 450 meals on Monday, Nov. 22 at the Detroit Shipping Co. food hall.

The boxed meals will include grilled turkey legs and roasted turkey breast, mashed potatoes with gravy, broccoli, cranberry chutney with yams, dinner rolls, and pumpkin pie. They’re prepared by Chef Petro Drakopoulos of Republica in Berkley and the Atheneum Suite Hotel in Detroit, Chef Maxcel Hardy of COOP Caribbean Chicken and Jed’s Detroit, Chef Anjani Lama of Momo Cha, Motor Burger owner-operator Jay Souilliere, and Chef Genevive Vang of Bangkok 96.

“Full Plates Full Hearts is one of my favorite events of the year,” Drakopoulos said in a statement. “It is a time when I join fellow chefs and operators from Detroit businesses to provide nourishment to the hearts and stomachs of our neighbors.”

The event is hosted by the Michigan Restaurant & Lodging Association, Detroit Restaurant & Lodging Association, and the Detroit Shipping Company. Founders Brewing Co. will also make a donation to support the meals, and winter clothes are donated by David Vintage.

Free meals and clothes are available on a first-come, first-serve basis starting at 11 a.m. at the Detroit Shipping Company, located at 474 Peterboro St. in Midtown. The meals are limited to one per person. COVID-19 precautions will be enforced, including mask-wearing and social distancing.

The organizers say boxes will also be delivered to local nonprofits including Alternatives for Girls, Cass Community Social Services, Coalition on Temporary Shelter (COTS), and Neighborhood Service Organization.

More information is available at detroitshippingcompany.com.