"Bea Gaddy, 68; City Councilwoman Fought for Poor, Homeless"
Bea
Gaddy, 68, a former housekeeper who rose from poverty to become
Baltimore's leading advocate for the homeless and poor, died Wednesday
of breast cancer at Johns Hopkins Hospital.
Gaddy, a member of the Baltimore City Council, organized Thanksgiving feasts that served thousands of the city's homeless for more than 20 years.
Gaddy, a member of the Baltimore City Council, organized Thanksgiving feasts that served thousands of the city's homeless for more than 20 years.
Using fewer than 70 words, the L. A. Times began its obituary of October 11, 2001 for Bea Gaddy and covered the essence of one lady's huge impact upon a complex American city. This Thanksgiving Day, November 24, 2011, marked the 30th Anniversary of Mrs. Gaddy's now famous Thanksgiving Day dinner for the poor in and around Baltimore, Maryland. "Whosoever will may come," has been the invitation, and many have come with numbers growing through every year.
Those blessed by Bea Gaddy and her home-cooked Thanksgiving meals in the beginning years and those eating the meals cooked in later years by volunteers have been the poor of Baltimore. Also fed, in other ways, have been those who volunteer every year to cook and to serve. "People care about you," the meal says to the overlooked poor of Baltimore at least once a year. In the other times, the Bea Gaddy Center reaches out to the poor of the city.
One woman with a huge compassion for others became a byword for gracious service and compassionate sharing. She served the poorest every Thanksgiving and more, from her limited personal means. The harvest grew like the proverbial tree that flowers from the tiny mustard seed.
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