By T, Scott Boatright
It’s starting to look a lot like Christmas for the city of Grambling.
On Saturday, the city and its partners held a “Candy Cane Christmas” event at Legends Square, and starting at 2 p.m. Friday, the city and Grambling chapter of Kappa Alpha Psi will team to hold their 10th annual Christmas Dinner Giveaway.
“That will be a drive-thru only event held at the Grambling Fire Station that will provide a fully-cooked meal for those in need to take home and eat on Christmas day,” said Grambling Mayor Edward Jones. “Kadar Dennis (with FryDaddz Katering) and the Kappas do such a good job with that. With COVID it’s not like it used to be because we have to stay safe, but it’s still good to make sure any resident in Grambling in need of a Christmas dinner will be able to get one.”
Dennis said the giveaway is a gift from the heart.
“We’ve done all 10 of the dinner giveaways,” Dennis said of his FryDaddyz Katering outfit and the Grambling Kappa Alpha Psi chapter. “It makes me feel good to be able to bless those in need. Even though we don’t have a homeless problem in Grambling and you might not see a lot of need, that doesn’t negate the fact that the need is still there. So just to be able to do a small part in what should be a joyous time of year. It makes me feel really good.”
Dennis said the giveaway meal will be all about Christmas tradition.
“The dinners will include turkey, dressing, vegetables, rolls, desert and cranberry sauce,” he said.
Some of those taking advantage of the dinner giveaway will be randomly selected to receive gift cards compliments of the Carolyn Douglas Collier Foundation/Carolyn Cares Christmas Project.
Collier, the first Miss Grambling State University and GSU employee, served as an ambassadress for GSU for almost 50 years, before passing away in January of 2020 at the age of 66.
She was raised in Grambling, where she attended Grambling Elementary and Grambling High School, before going on to study at and then work for GSU, where she held a number of positions including human resources, a first-year experience instructor, a sociology instructor, Director of Admissions, Executive Director of Alumni Affairs and the Director of the Eddie G. Robinson Museum.
The “Candy Cane Christmas” event, organized by Dr. Ruby Higgins, included an Angel Gift Tree with cards on it with names of children in need of a Christmas gift, a Sweets and Treats mixer with caroling, games, refreshments and presentation of the Angel Tree Gifts.
“That was a wonderful day,” Jones said. “Dr. Higgins did such a good job of organizing and making sure everyone had a great time and a Merry Christmas.”
That event also included a “Color Me Christmas” children’s coloring contest for youth ages 1-12 with winners in three different age groups: 1-4, 5-8 and 9-12.
“This is all about the city of Grambling and its partners trying to offer the best Christmas we can to all of our citizens,” Jones said. “We want to make sure we make it a good one for, like the song says, children from 1-92 – and even older.”
