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Imagine having 400 or more guests for Thanksgiving. Imagine having that many guests for Thanksgiving dinner for 24 years.

Perhaps, not even Cornelius Griffin imagined that, when he and his family hosted Thanksgiving dinner for the elderly and shut-ins in his hometown of Brundidge in 2001.

Through the years, Cornelius Griffin has not forgotten the support he received from his hometown during the years he was a standout football player for Pike County High School and the University of Alabama. The community support continued when he lived the dream of so many boys to play in the National Football League.

As a member of the New York Giants, Griffin’s thoughts often turned back to those who had supported him through the years.

So, in 2001, he, and his family began hosting an annual community Thanksgiving dinner for the elderly and shut-ins at Brundidge.

Not even a pandemic could keep Thanksgiving from coming.

So, on Tuesday, November 26, 2024,  more than 400 Thanksgiving dinners were shared with the elderly and shut-ins in the Brundidge area.

Martha Griffin said her son continues to remember the support he has always received from his hometown. The annual Thanksgiving Dinner, is his way of saying “thank you” and that he has not forgotten.

The family matriarch said the many who prepare the Thanksgiving dinner do so out of love for others in their community.

“The Bible tells us that what we give to others comes back in blessings,” Griffin said. “And, with those blessings, we are able to bless others and our community is also blessed in return.”