Dozens attend man’s Friendsgiving in Miami-Dade
MIAMI-DADE COUNTY, Fla. — Before 6 p.m., about 30 people had already stopped by Matthew Hicks’s home in Miami-Dade County for a Thanksgiving meal.
Hicks, the owner of RIDE Transportation, said he planned to keep the celebration going until 4 a.m. Friday.
Some guests at his home near Miami Shores — where he lives with dogs, turtles, and a pig — received their invitations through Facebook.
“I started this ten years ago because no one reached out to me to see if I wanted to join them on Thanksgiving,” Hicks wrote to his 9,000 followers.
He said he went to McDonald’s that day and then came up with an idea that many have appreciated over the years.
“I do this so we all have a place. I worry every year that no one will show up, but every year it gets better. It really feels like a block party or the end of a high school movie,” Hicks wrote in the invitation. “It really brings me joy doing this, and I hope to see you.”
Hicks’s “big friendsgivings” have grown into an event he calls the “Land of Misfit Toys Thanksgiving Extravaganza.” Macaroni and cheese has become his most popular dish.
“I will treat you like a drive-thru if you need to. If you are on your way to work,” Hicks said, describing how he packs to-go plates for friends.
Hicks said his house party draws an “eclectic mix of people,” and some guests mentioned they aren’t originally from South Florida.
“I don’t want people feeling alone … Out here it’s like that a lot,” Hicks said. “It’s a big transplant city, so a lot of people are away from families.”
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