SPRINGFIELD — Kids, teens, older men and women, and families packed the DeBerry School on Union Street Saturday as Black Men of Greater Springfield threw its yearly Fall Festival, offering families free clothing, shoes, entertainment and a full traditional Thanksgiving meal for all.
The fraternal organization invited other groups to join the celebration and to aid in serving families in need making for a one-stop shopping event.
“There is always more need than resources,” said Black Men of Greater Springfield President William Zachery. “With these other groups, we can maximize the collective resources to make more impact on that need. Everybody who is here is happy to be here and everybody is asking ‘How can I help?’ There are some groups that we have had a historical relationship with. We have done some small funding for other community organizations and that’s how we kind of met them and we have been collaborating in some way for like a decade.”…