Giving Back to the LGBTQ+ Community through Food Drive and Dance Party
By Mikkel Hyldebrandt
To kick off the holiday season, Jesse Lirette and William Treadwell have come up with a meaningful gesture that serves the LGBTQ+ community in need. The Butterball food drive and dance party aims to gather donations and canned food annually for an LGBTQ+ charity organization. David talked to Lirette and Treadwell about the event and recognizing the importance of community support during the holidays.
On 11/11 you are hosting the Butterball – tell us a little bit about the idea and concept.
The idea and concept behind our initial Butterball food drive and dance party (not affiliated with the Turkey brand “Butterball, LLC”) is to give donations and canned food to an LGBTQ+ charity organization annually to kick off the season of giving and community for the holidays. We wanted to find a way to make a substantial, positive impact for those in need with the help of our community this year. Since November kicks off the holiday season, bringing friends and families together, we decided we wanted to conduct a celebratory food drive and dance party. That’s when we decided on the name, Butterball (again, not affiliated with the brand name food product).
To start things off, we have chosen the Atlanta-based 501c3 organization, Lost-n-Found Youth (LnFY) as our beneficiary, so they may provide adequate and substantial aid to displaced gay and trans youth.
What made you want to get involved in charity like this?
Jesse and I both have a long history of being involved in volunteering, donating, and serving our communities through philanthropic efforts. We have a passion for helping others and giving back to our community. For the month of November, we wanted to kick off the start of the season of giving with outreach to those in need. We have seen and experienced the success of other charity efforts throughout the years from community influencers and organizations in Atlanta and wanted to join in the effort to help those in the community who are in need.
This party also re-introduces a new event space. Can you tell us more about it?
Domaine, Atlanta’s premier nightlife brand located in Midtown’s rustic Opera House, heard what we wanted to do, and enthusiastically donated their venue for us to hold this food drive dance party. This space is unique and has had significant renovations in the past couple of years. Featuring a floor-to-ceiling display and full-service bars, the venue boasts amenities found in locations like Vegas and Miami. It’s in a convenient location and has featured well-known talents like Deadmau5, Sofi Tukker, Steve Aoki, Marshmellow, and many more.
What do you hope to achieve with the Butterball?
We hope that Butterball will become an annual event where our community can come together to celebrate in the spirit of giving while supporting local LGBTQ+ charities. Raise food and money for LGBTQ+ affiliated charities annually.
Tell us how to get involved and how to attend the Butterball.
Two cans of food or a $10 dollar donation are appreciated per person at the door for entry. To reserve entry tickets to Butterball, patrons can go to https://tinyurl.com/244f3w34.
Anything else you’d like to add?
We would like to extend our thanks to those involved in the party and outside of the venue. DJs Seth Breezy (@dj.seth.breezy) and Cindel (@djcindel) are donating their talent and time to make this possible.