Good Deed: Free Easter meal to feed hundreds

Staff photo by Troy Stolt / Heather Hames prepares an Easter Meal for Maurice and Lashandra Scott outside of the Bessie Smith Cultural Center during an Easter Sunday outreach put on by The Union Gospel Mission on E. Martin Luther King Blvd. on Sunday, April 4, 2021 in Chattanooga, Tenn. Union Gospel mission made approximately 400 traditional Easter to be given to Chattanoogans experiencing homelessness as well as bags, filled with supplies such as hygiene products. Staff photo by Troy Stolt / Heather Hames prepares an Easter Meal for Maurice and Lashandra Scott outside of the Bessie Smith Cultural Center during an Easter Sunday outreach put on by The Union Gospel Mission on E. Martin Luther King Blvd. on Sunday, April 4, 2021 in Chattanooga, Tenn. Union Gospel mission made approximately 400 traditional Easter to be given to Chattanoogans experiencing homelessness as well as bags, filled with supplies such as hygiene products.

By Community submissions April 4, 2026 2 min read

A free community meal will help Chattanoogans celebrate Easter on Sunday.

The Union Gospel Mission and volunteers will serve a full ham dinner to community members in need on the front lawn of the Bessie Smith Cultural Center in Chattanooga.

“With the help of our community, we expect to serve well over 400 warm Easter meals while sharing the message of Christ’s Resurrection and the hope it brings,” said Rev. Jon Rector, executive director of the Union Gospel Mission. “This year, we are seeing a growing need, with officials reporting higher levels of homelessness than in previous years. We are prepared to serve and trust that our community will step forward to support this effort.”

Volunteers make the meal service possible, and “blessing bags” filled with items like toiletries, socks and sunscreen will also be distributed.

Kimberly George Race