September 15, 2013: Willie and Carol Fowler (blue dress) with daughter Tamara (middle) and two attendees of the 'Fowler Family Celebration of Love' (MyFoxAtlanta.com)
Carol and Willie Fowler had a lavish wedding reception planned for their daughter, Tamara. Or, they did until the nuptials were called off earlier this month with a mere 40 days to spare.
Instead of letting the four-course meal planned for September 15 at an upscale Atlanta restaurant go to waste, the Fowlers called a local charity and asked if they could donate the food to a local charity.
At first, higher-ups at the charity, Hosea Feed the Hungry, didn't believe Mrs. Fowler's offer was legitimate. But after she explained the situation, plans proceeded apace, and on the appointed day, 200 of Atlanta's homeless and their families, including several children, gathered at the Villa Christina restaurant for a meal served with all the traditional flourishes.
"The passed hors d’oeuvre were very interesting because the children were wondering, 'could we take the whole tray, or do we just take one off of the tray?'" Elizabeth Omilami, the head of Hosea Feed the Hungry, told WBUR radio . "So this was an educational opportunity as well, because now they all know how to eat at a four-course meal and the etiquette involved in that."
The event, dubbed the Fowler Family Celebration of Love, was also attended by the Fowler's daughter, Tamara, whom her parents said was in good spirits.
"We’re very pleased that she’s handling it so well," Carol Fowler said. “She was also very delighted to see and know that others had an opportunity to enjoy something, rather than just allow it to go to waste."
The Fowlers plan to hold a similar event next year.
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