11/26/2025
In the spirit of Thanksgiving, the Cortland County community had its own special day for a free meal last weekend, thanks to a grassroots effort led by SUNY Cortland faculty and staff members.
The Crown Table Feast offered free food to those who need it, no questions asked, on Saturday, Nov. 29, from 1 to 4 p.m., at Access to Independence of Cortland County, 26 N. Main St., Cortland.
The 41 guests were able to sit down together to eat from a menu that included meatless chili, chili dogs, fruit, rolls with butter, other dishes and drinks, choose a takeout option or bring home a bag of groceries with essentials like rice, potatoes, pasta, peanut butter and canned soup.
The free meal began with Casey Pennington, assistant professor of literacy. She said she has been amazed to see so many local businesses and community members come together to give what they can during a time of year when many people go without the cherished holiday basics.
Cortland ReUse, which has partnered with SUNY Cortland for Red Dragon ReUse sales, supported plans for the feast and supplied dishes and other houseware items. Texas Roadhouse in Ithaca donated the rolls and butter while Moe’s Southwest Grill in Cortland donated takeout boxes. In addition, there were 40 $10 grocery gift cards to Aldi or P&C Fresh Markets available and Kara Rode Webber, a Cornell University professor, is supplied free take-home COVID-19 tests.
Further support from Ake Gallery, Cortland Mutual Aid Group, Main Street Farms and other volunteers from SUNY Cortland and the wider area have been invaluable in turning an initial kind idea into a project with real benefits, Pennington said.
Finding that so many people cared — and to keep hearing “yes” when she expected to hear “no” — left Pennington shocked.
“There are moments where I think, ‘Yeah, we’re going to do this. This is happening. We’re going to do it and we’re going to meet people and we’re going to build community.’”
In late October, Pennington first thought of what would become the Crown Table Feast when she heard about federal SNAP food benefits running out due to the then-government shutdown.
“The project started with me just being really afraid of what was going to happen and how that was going to impact Cortland County residents, and also thinking about how it’s going to affect kids and families,” she said.
Pennington said she struggled with housing and food insecurity earlier in life while living in California, working multiple jobs to buy groceries.
“There was such a lack of dignity in that practice that I still find to be very heartbreaking and, in effect, pretty cruel,” Pennington said. “I want to be able to work across our community members ... and do it in ways that preserve and uphold our dignity as residents.”
A childhood lesson she remembered from TV icon Mr. Rogers pushed her to take action: be a helper.
“I thought, ‘Well, maybe I can be a helper in this,’” Pennington said.
She first talked to Brian Fitz, senior programmer analyst at SUNY Cortland and a board member at Cortland ReUse, to propose a meal for Cortland County residents. Beyond that, she hoped to create a group that could use its collective expertise to learn what was most needed in the community and how it could be provided.
“We could become each other’s keeper rather than waiting on someone else,” Pennington said.
She hopes the upcoming meal will include dozens of people from around the area who will talk, laugh and eat together. When that happens, the inaugural Crown Table Feast will become something that, quite appropriately, Cortland County can be thankful for.
Those good tidings aren’t planned to end after Thanksgiving, either.
Pennington hopes future efforts can continue to aid the local community. She would like to create a toy swap ahead of the holiday season so that used toys get to the children and families that can use them best.
Her ultimate goal is to build a system where neighbors help neighbors when they most need it — a kind of all-year Thanksgiving where community members don’t have to wait until the last week of November to be reminded how powerful friendship really is.
“If we have folks who have a need and it’s not getting the type of support that is necessary, then we can have other community members take that role on,” Pennington said. “I think the goal is for things to be decentralized.”