‘Dr. King’s dream: walk it out, walk it through': Candied Yam honors MLK by serving 400 free meals to patrons

KENTWOOD, Mich. — Jessica Ann Tyson did not sit down much on Monday. She spent the day making sure that dozens of chicken pot pies were boxed, and headed to local senior citizens homes, instructing volunteers on where to put canned good donations, and bringing food out from the kitchen to the firefighters who were serving meals to patrons as they walked in.

“It is the busiest inside [and] it kind of picks up,” Tyson said. “But today it was like BOOM. Everybody was here.”

It was her restaurant’s — The Candied Yam: Delightful Southern Cuisine — annual MLK Day of Serving event, in which she invited the public to have a warm free meal in exchange for a nonperishable food or item.

“Oh we’re eating some really good food," said GVSU student Brooke Thompson. "We got chicken, mashed potatoes, some baked beans, and corn bread."

Thompson and her friends Kensley Zalvivar and Grace Vaughn all flashed big smiles when she mentioned the cornbread. It was their favorite.

“Grand Valley is off for MLK Day today. So, our professor wanted us to go out and celebrate MLK Day. So, we went and we shopped for nonperishable goods and we’re here celebrating that,” Zalvivar said. “We tried to get some personal care products like razors, stuff like face wash. And then we did some healthier snacks like apple sauce, baby food.”

The event began at 12 p.m., and once the doors opened, they didn’t close until the event was over, two hours later.

“It’s really amazing to see how many people can come together for something like this,” Vaughn said. “Like, we thought we were going to come early. There was people waiting outside.”

Many patrons walked in with plastic bags filled with canned goods and items. They then gave it to Kentwood Mayor Stephen Kepley, who placed the items into a two-foot tall donation box.

By 1:30 p.m., it was full.

“I think it’s a nice gesture to the community just to be able to offer an opportunity to break bread together,” said patron April Ruiz. “And to show that they’re a business in the community, a stockholder in the community, and just bring people together with some good food.”

Tyson said they gave away 200 meals by noon and 400 in total by the end of the event.

“This is an opportunity to live Dr. King’s dream: walk it out, walk it through,” Tyson said. “I believe that if Dr. King was here, he would be extremely proud of our efforts. Republicans, Democrats, coming together to serve their constituents and constituents receiving that information of love, of breaking bread together, of being together, and that’s what it’s really all about.”

Tyson was grateful for her staff and volunteers, who were on their feet just as much as she was. Volunteers drove the dozens of chicken, turkey, and vegetable potpies to different senior citizens' homes in the area, while others cut green beans in the kitchen and made sure the food was always hot and fresh in the café area.

Tyson, who’s also a Kentwood City Commissioner, hoped that besides full bellies, patrons walked away with a desire to serve others, whether it be through an act of kindness or a warm meal. She believes it's what Dr. King would have wanted.

“I think at the end of the day, when it’s all said and done, if we could have a kitchen in the White House or a kitchen in Lansing, we’d be on to something,” Tyson said.