New donors, including a famous chef, have come forward to save the annual Beerman dinner, which will now be called "A Feast Of Giving." The chef is Art Smith, who once worked for Oprah Winfrey. Smith is the owner of Table 52 in Chicago, the restaurant where President Obama and his wife Michelle, dined on Valentine’s Day. He will come to Dayton for a guest appearance at the event and oversee the food preparation.

The Beerman Foundation, which organized the dinner for 40 years, said last month it was discontinuing the annual tradition in Dayton.

More than 200,000 turkey dinners have been served to the homeless, the needy and the lonely over the years.

The Dayton Convention Center’s sales manager Michael Cashman said on Monday, Oct. 5, that a formal agreement had not yet been signed but he has the facility on hold for Thanksgiving Day.