For Our City Maricopa has first community Thanksgiving dinner

Mayor Christian Price invited members of the Maricopa Chamber of Commerce Thursday to lend a hand and join in on the city’s first For Our City Maricopa community Thanksgiving dinner.

The dinner – open to the public – will be Nov. 22 at Our Lady of Grace Catholic Church and comes through the combined efforts of For Our City Maricopa, local churches and organizations.

The public is asked to RSVP to the dinner by Monday by calling 520-568-4605 or emailing [email protected].

Speaking during the monthly chamber breakfast, Price explained the philosophy of For Our City, which is a volunteer “umbrella organization to service” operating under the vision of the mayor. It’s affiliated with CARE Inc. and is one of 10 For Our City groups in the state including Chandler, Tempe, Mesa, Gilbert, Cottonwood, Nogales, Page, Sahuarita and Sedona.

It’s all about networking for the common good, Price said.

“It’s about how can we (the city, nonprofits, churches, businesses, fire and police departments) meet in one place, network and do good things together,” he said. “If you have a problem, a concern, a project you want to do, we want to help facilitate it.”

“The idea behind the Thanksgiving dinner is for a sense of community,” Price said. The purpose is two-fold: To meet people and to help those in need.

The mayor asked chamber members to consider participating by attending the dinner, and perhaps donating plates, food or whatever else organizers may need to help put the dinner together.

“It’s designed to be a community event,” he said. “It’s not about asking for money. I don’t think we have a single dollar to our name” he said of For Our City Maricopa.

In conjunction with the community dinner, Maricopa’s Youth Council is hosting a Turkey Bowl flag-football game 9-11 a.m. at Maricopa Meadows Park Thanksgiving day. All ages are invited.

For Our City Maricopa can be found on Facebook. The executive director is Eric Lacz; he can be reached at [email protected].