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For the second year in a row, Lanett’s seniors gathered for a holiday feast the day before Thanksgiving. The Alpha Kappa Alpha organization organized its second annual soup and lunch event at the senior center in Lanett. 

AKA members served lunch to 60 guests on Wednesday. They also took a meal home with them as well. Senior Center Director Sandra Thornton said the goal of the event is to give the seniors a nice meal and fellowship for the holiday. 

The AKA sorority is a service-oriented organization that volunteers for various projects around the community. 

The Alpha Kappa Alpha’s organization-wide motto is to serve all mankind. The group was founded in 1908 at Howard University in Washington, DC. The Lanett chapter of the AKA was chartered in October 1976, and it currently has 56 active members. 

“This is just a token to let you know we’re thinking about you,” said Emily Thomas Williams, a member of the AKA, to the seniors.

Each member who attended the event was also invited to bring a family member along with them. 

“Some of the seniors’ family came with them, and they were truly happy and pleased with that,” Thornton said. “And it’s always a great idea to include family members in the program.”

Some of the senior citizens’ family members also spoke at the lunch. The son of a senior got up to sing while the food was being served. The guest speaker for the lunch was the son of Thornton, who is a member of the AKA Lanett chapter. 

Michael Winston, pastor of Greenwood Baptist Church, spoke at the lunch about being thankful during the Thanksgiving holidays. 

Pastor Kelsey Barnes of Goodsell United Methodist Church began the lunch with a prayer. Mayor Jamie Heard also attended the event. He said that he was grateful to the AKA organization for doing something for the seniors of the community.

“We appreciated the AKA for partnering with us on this,” Heard said. 

He thanked Thornton for her work with the event. 

Heard said he hoped to see the senior center expand to its own building in the future. Lanett Thornton said the center currently has a waiting list for seniors to join.

“That’s a great problem to have,” she said.