Mealsgiving aims to turn the Tuesday before Thanksgiving into a holiday about feeding others

CLEVELAND, Ohio — A local comedian is teaming up with Greater Cleveland restaurants to help transform the Tuesday before Thanksgiving into a new kind of holiday all about giving back.

Ricky Smith, the founder of the RAKE (Random Acts of Kindness Everywhere) nonprofit, has declared that the Tuesday before Thanksgiving as Mealsgiving . The idea is to get everyone, from restaurants to individual families, to come together in the spirit of giving food. The inaugural Mealsgiving holiday falls on November 26.

"How cool would it be if, on this day, everyone shows up by way of food?" Smith said.

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Previously, through RAKE, Smith and volunteers fed folks at the Salvation Army in East Cleveland around Thanksgiving. Once the COVID-19 pandemic hit, the event stopped, but Smith and his friends decided to bring it back in 2024 in a new way.

Smith started bouncing the idea around his friends in the Northeast Ohio restaurant industry about how to make the idea take off. He spoke with owner Andrew Watts and chef Vinnie Cimino at Cordelia about potentially hosting a Mealsgiving lunch on that Tuesday. The restauranteurs took it a step further and decided to close the restaurant for a celebratory evening of food and community.

Cordelia plans to serve 1,000 meals on Tuesday and, with the help of Mealsgiving volunteers, deliver another 1,000 across the community. Smith reached out to a variety of groups to invite folks who are homeless, first responders, veterans and frontline workers to the Mealsgiving kickoff.

As other restaurants became interested, Smith encouraged them to host their own events for Mealsgiving that prioritize feeding others. Participating restaurants include Zanzibar Soul Fusion, Cocky's Bagels, House of Creole and beyond.

Outside of restaurant initiatives, Smith also encourages anyone to get in the spirit of Mealsgiving by sharing a meal with someone on Tuesday.

"Whether it's 1,000 meals or someone making one meal," Smith said. "You just know that the Tuesday before Thanksgiving, you spread love by way of food."

Cleveland celebrities will also be invited to the Cordelia event, like Mayor Justin Bibb. Smith explained that Bibb expressed interest in making Mealsgiving an official holiday in the city of Cleveland.

Smith also highlighted that the holidays can be a lonely time for many folks. Additionally, the Wednesday before Thanksgiving has turned into a massive unofficial holiday for going out and drinking, often dubbed Blackout Wednesday. Therefore, it seems simple to create a day dedicated to feeding others, and Smith only hopes that Mealsgiving continues to grow.

"The goal from here on out is to make this bigger and better and have a day of love leading up to the holidays," Smith said.

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