Ambassador's Class of 1988 Throwback Party to Benefit Hamilton Scholarship Fund, photos provided by our very own Larry Bland!

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Tasha Person of South Memphis (right) looks for the deals in the meat department Tuesday while Kim Gibson (left) of the Hamilton High alumni group helps her shop. Former Hamiltonians footed the grocery bill for needy families to buy Thanksgiving dinner.

Dianna Lott (left) shops with Tara Cherry, both class of 1988 alumni, at the Schnucks in Whitehaven on Tuesday.

Hamilton alumni put holiday dinners on needy tables
By Jody Callahan
Commercial Appeal

Thursday, November 27, 2008

Maybelline Plummer had planned a Thanksgiving dinner of spaghetti and chicken.

Not your usual holiday feast, but that was about all the 48-year-old South Memphis resident could afford.

Until a group of Hamilton High alumni came along.

"We just would have had a normal meal," Plummer said. "I thank them for thinking of my family, to (help us) have a decent Thanksgiving and food on the table."

Through the aid of a networking Web page for Hamilton alumni, a group of former students raised about $2,400 to feed 10 needy families this Thanksgiving.

Earlier in the week, a group of about 30 Wildcat alumni took the families to a Schnucks and a Kroger in the Whitehaven area.

Each family was allowed to buy $200 worth of food, with the alumni paying the tab. The group mostly chose families who had students attending Hamilton Elementary, Middle or High schools.

"We're trying to feed them for Thanksgiving," said Derrick Payne, a dentist and 1988 Hamilton graduate.

But instead of just asking for canned goods, Payne and his fellow organizers wanted something more immediate, something that would allow families to choose their own food.

So they asked fellow alumni to try to raise $200 per class, then arranged to spend that money directly at the grocery stores.

"A lot of people do canned goods, but I ruled that out," Payne said, then added with a laugh, "If I'm over that, I got to carry all those (cans)."

The gesture was much appreciated by Tasha Person. Today, she'll use the food she bought to feed her family of nine children.

"We would have had something (otherwise). We just wouldn't have had a lot," said Person, 40, who'll use the money she would normally have spent on food to pay her utility bill. "We're grateful. Normally (people) give out (food) baskets. But this time, you can pick out what you want to eat."

Person stuffed her cart with ham, sweet potatoes, macaroni and cheese, lasagna and other items to make a feast.

One thing wasn't in there, though, and her daughter, Marketia, was pushing hard for it.

"She needs to get some cake," Marketia said. "Red velvet."

-- Jody Callahan: 529-6531

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