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BALTIMORE, MD (Monday, October 23, 2023) — Today, Mayor Brandon M. Scott was joined by Bea Gaddy Family Centers Executive Director Cynthia Brooks, Councilwoman Phylicia Porter (District 10), Councilman Robert Stokes (District 12), Baltimore City Recreation and Parks (BCRP) Executive Director Reginald Moore, city leaders, and community members to announce that this year’s Annual Bea Gaddy Thanksgiving Dinner will be moved to Middle Branch Fitness and Wellness Center in Baltimore’s Cherry Hill neighborhood.
Traditionally, the Bea Gaddy Thanksgiving Dinner is held at the Virginia S. Baker Recreation Center in Patterson Park. However, due necessary maintenance, the recreation center is temporarily closed while a replacement HVAC system is being installed. Mayor Scott, along with city leaders, worked with Executive Director Brooks to secure a new location that could accommodate the needs of the event, particularly the thousands of residents who attend every year to either receive food donations or volunteer to serve those in need.
“The Annual Bea Gaddy Thanksgiving Dinner is an honored tradition in Baltimore, and we wanted to ensure we did everything in our power to make sure it moved forward no matter what,” said Mayor Brandon M. Scott. “Although we had to relocate this year, we welcome the opportunity to engage residents in all neighborhoods across our city and expand Bea Gaddy’s connections to more people in South Baltimore, while still serving it’s traditional base of residents. I want to thank Ms. Cynthia Brooks and all of our partners for rallying together to help make this change possible and ensure the thousands of residents who depend on the donations this organization provides are cared for this year.”
“After 21 years of being at Patterson Park, we came looking for a location that could match that area for what we needed it to be, and I am thankful to Mayor Scott and Councilwoman Porter for helping us find a temporary home at the Middle Branch Fitness and Wellness Center,” said Bea Gaddy Family Centers Executive Director Cynthia Brooks. “This facility will be open to everyone in the area, and we pray to be back at Patterson Park next year. This will be our 42nd year and I am looking forward to it.”
«I am delighted to have the Bea Gaddy Foundation utilize the Middle Branch Fitness and Wellness Center in Cherry Hill. For the past 42 years, the family of Bea Gaddy has invested into communities of Baltimore City providing food, shelter, and clothing,» said Councilwoman Phylicia Porter (District 10). «I am grateful that her foundation is adding to the existing community work of so many in South Baltimore and Cherry Hill. Her legacy has been felt and will remain Baltimore through the spirit of giving she had instilled in her family. South Baltimore and Cherry Hill had always been a family and we will continue to live through her spirit during this holiday season.»
“We understand that the annual Bea Gaddy Thanksgiving Dinner event means so much to the City of Baltimore and the community. While it’s unfortunate that the Bea Gaddy Thanksgiving Dinner can’t be hosted in its normal venue this year, Baltimore City Recreation & Parks was pleased to work with organizers in finding a suitable alternate location,” said BCRP Executive Director Reginald Moore. “We look forward to the Bea Gaddy Thanksgiving Dinner event returning to Virginia S. Baker Recreation Center next year.”
To learn more about the 2023 Annual Bea Gaddy Thanksgiving Dinner or to register to volunteer for this year’s Thanksgiving Dinner, visit www.beagaddy.org.
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