Family Turns Canceled Wedding Into Dinner For The Homeless

A canceled wedding isn’t something most would smile about, but to Carol and Willie Fowler, it was a chance to give back to the community.

The Fowler’s had planned an elaborate, sophisticated wedding reception for their daughter, and according to Today, they ended up calling it off six weeks before the ceremony.

The couple then decided to take this heartbreaking occasion and turn it into something that they could smile about.

“My husband actually prayed about it,” Carol Fowler said. “The next morning he woke, I was in the process of canceling the venue, letting them know that we had no use for it, and he said, ‘No, we’re going to call “Hosea Feed the Hungry” and have them round up people from the shelters.'”

According to USA Today, the Fowler’s daughter had previously volunteered for the organization, which helps homeless people in the Atlanta area.

The report continued on to say that 200 guests were bused to Villa Christina for a four-course meal complete with coconut shrimp and salmon, and of course some chicken fingers, fruit and chocolate chip cookies for the 50 kids that attended.

According to ABC News, Hosea Feed the Hungry couldn’t believe it at first:

“When they first called, the administration thought it was a prank call because it was too good to be true,” Quisa Foster of Hosea Feed the Hungry said.

“It’s a very creme de la creme wedding venue, so to say that you’re going to host 200 homeless individuals at Villa Christina — it sounds like a prank call.”

The event was very eye-opening for all involved. Carol Fowler stated,

“When you look at the faces of the women and children and actually participated in the event, they look like you and me.”

“These are working families that for whatever reason — the recession, economic turn — have found themselves in a place where they’re without a place to live and starting over.”

“It was a wonderful event. It brought tears to my eyes,” she said.

“There is no way to explain how it makes you feel, but it’s wonderful,” Willie Fowler said of seeing the joy at the event.

Even their daughter attended the event, stating that it was “bittersweet, but rewarding” for her.

Even a canceled wedding can turn into something spectacular, and the Fowler family is hoping to make their event, the Fowler Family Celebration of Love, a yearly event.

[Image via Shutterstock/Champiofoto]