Local family restaurant brings community together for free Thanksgiving lunch

November 20, 2024

Ryan Hodges,

BROWNSVILLE, Tenn. — A yearly tradition continues as one local establishment hosts a free Thanksgiving lunch.

Family, friends and food are essentials when it comes to a great small town. The Brownsville Family Restaurant provides all three of these for their town.

“We get a chance to bring everybody together. Whether they come in here to eat through the week or on Sunday. But now we’re just open on Sundays. We’re not open through the week. Just on Sundays now. It’s just a good family place to come and enjoy. Everybody seems to know each other, and if they don’t, they seem like they do before they leave,” said Carolyn Reed, owner of The Brownsville Family Restaurant.

Every year, the restaurant hosts a free Thanksgiving lunch for anyone that wants to attend. Reed says it is always such a fun time to work with her family and friends to put it together.

“This is one happy moment. It is so good that we are able to do this. This is a family deal. We all pull together and we have a lot of friends that volunteer and brought sodas and cakes up here for the event,” said Reed.

Family and friends are always a great reason to come together and share a meal. However, Reed says there is a more important goal in mind.

“I don’t care where we go. We’re always going to try to have a Thanksgiving dinner — to help someone. There’s a lot of people that might not get that for Thanksgiving. So we’ll be here to pitch in and help them celebrate Thanksgiving also,” said Reed.

Dozens of people flooded the restaurant as soon as the doors opened for a great meal and a great time. Brownsville Mayor Bill Rawls also made an appearance. He said Reed always has some of the best food.