The Murphy family has organized an annual feast on the Saturday before Thanksgiving for 24 years at historic Corktown parish
DETROIT — For nearly a quarter of a century, the Murphy family has hosted a Thanksgiving dinner for the homeless men and women of Corktown on the Saturday before the holiday.
It's a small way to give back to the community the family loves, building on a tradition of neighborhood outreach at Most Holy Trinity Parish.
And it all sort of happened by accident.
Dan Murphy, one of seven Murphy children, said he became involved with the parish thanks to his late mother, Margaret, who passed away in 2001.
Murphy remembers going to Mass one Sunday soon after his mother was diagnosed with cancer, only half-listening to the homily by the late Msgr. Russell E. Kohler. His heart heavy with other matters, Murphy remembers vaguely catching bits and pieces — something about a newly renovated kitchen and the parish's efforts to help the homeless men in the neighborhood by providing food, a place to shower, and whatever clothes the parish had available.
“That day, I was a little preoccupied, and at the end, walking out of Mass, and I said, ‘Father, I am not sure how that all tied together,’” Murphy recalled. “He said, ‘I’ll tell you, Murph: (I want to) put on a Thanksgiving dinner for these guys, something that is home-cooked, something they don’t normally get.’ I said, 'I probably could help with that. What do you need?' He responded, ‘I need you to be in charge.’
"I learned from that day I've got to be careful what kind of questions I ask,” Murphy joked.
On Nov. 23, Murphy and a small army of volunteers hosted hundreds of men and women for a full Thanksgiving feast in the gym at Most Holy Trinity School, complete with turkey, stuffing, mashed potatoes, gravy, green beans and all the traditional fixings.
What today is a staple in the community, however, started with a small, determined band of volunteers.
Shortly after Msgr. Kohler's request, Murphy began by serving a meal of 10 to 12 men in the parish rectory each year on the Saturday before Thanksgiving. All funding came out of his own pocket, and his brothers, sister and cousins served as volunteers.
However, as word spread, more and more people wanted to volunteer time or donate money or food to make the meal happen.
“There were a number of years when people wanted to volunteer, and I had a lot more people volunteering than I had need for. I felt almost obligated to find a way to keep people volunteering,” Murphy said. “I wanted to make sure I wasn’t losing sight of the real picture, which is the less fortunate in the community.”
The dinner soon moved across the street to the gym at Most Holy Trinity School to accommodate more clients and volunteers. Word began to spread; one friend went door to door in his neighborhood to fund the dinner.
In 2015, Murphy turned the operation into a nonprofit, Corktown Blessings. The formal status made it easier to collect donations, and the organization now raises funds by hosting a yearly golf outing.
Because of the growth, the Thanksgiving dinner turned into a full-day event, beginning with breakfast, which is part of a collaboration with Manna Community Meal, a Corktown soup kitchen that serves meals to the homeless five days a week, year-round.
“Over at Manna Meals, they don’t take a break, and if they do, they just close down, and the guys don’t really have a place to go,” Murphy explained. “So on that (Saturday before) Thanksgiving when we do our dinner, we open up early and do a breakfast as well.”
Part of Msgr. Kohler’s vision was that the entire meal would be made from scratch, Murphy said. In the beginning years, dessert would consist of a few Costco pies, but one year, a group of Girl Scout volunteers brought homemade baked goods.
“I was in the kitchen, and I came out, and all the desserts were gone,” Murphy said. “It is a big deal when they get the homemade stuff, so now that is what we try to stick with every year.”
Following breakfast and before lunch, a group of volunteers runs a large temporary clothing closet where they help men find boots, coats and other clothing items in their size. This year, Murphy said they received a donation of 20 coats that can be converted into sleeping bags.
The clothing closet was also at the request of Msgr. Kohler, who died in 2016, Murphy said.
“It has grown from originally just serving 10-12 people in the rectory to probably serving 100 for breakfast and 130 to 140 for lunch,” Murphy said.
The majority of the patrons are men, Murphy explained, but over the years, a small number of women have begun to attend the meal.
“In the Corktown area, there are more places for the homeless women and children to go to that have more all-around services for them,” Murphy said. “A lot of the men prefer not to be inside. Living on the streets is not easy."
Over the years, Murphy and his siblings have learned of the different ways their parents volunteered in the parish and community, and seek to continue that legacy of service — with lots of help.
“It is a lot of friends — a family of friends,” Murphy said. “I’ve been misquoted on that a couple of times as ‘family and friends,’ but that’s not it; it is a family of friends.”
Murphy said he used to joke that he was in the wrong place at the wrong time when Msgr. Kohler roped him in to host the dinner.
But he knows that's not how it really happened.
“God puts you where He wants you or wherever He needs you,” Murphy said. “You've got to keep your eye on the real goal: If someone is hungry, then let’s feed them. If someone needs clothes, we can give them something to wear. So that’s just what we do because that’s who we are.”
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