CMU alum Mathias Mulumba plans to give back to his community for the 10th year straight with a huge African feast. Free and open to all, the Annual African Thanksgiving Dinner will be held on Nov. 22 from 5-8 p.m. as part of the outreach for his non-profit, Father for the Fatherless, which uplifts communities in Mulumba’s home country of Uganda.
He said that anyone is welcome to lend a helping hand and learn how to cook African food during preparation.
Hosted at the First Presbyterian Church, this dinner is Mulumba’s opportunity to give back to a community that has given so much to his non-profit. Over the last 15 years, through the efforts of Father to the Fatherless, his team has been able to build a primary school, promote resilience through agriculture and offer employment opportunities through vocational training.
Their next goal? Build a high school.
“We currently have a primary school,” Mulumba said. “But once they are done with primary school, then there is nowhere they go next.”
Mathias believes that education is a key component for the people he’s helping. He graduated from CMU in the winter of 2024, with a degree in business administration. He was also the one of the commencement speakers because of his commitment to uplifting others and bettering himself through education.
“I’m trying to break the cycles of poverty through education,” Mulumba said.
In previous years, the Annual African Thanksgiving Dinner has provided meals to over 300 people. Mulumba will be at the site around 7 a.m. to begin cooking the food. He expressed that he is excited to share his knowledge of African food with anyone that would like to help.
Mulumba faced severe hardship as he grew up in Uganda. Rejected by his family, and driven to live on the streets of Kampala, he found salvation in God and met the person who would become his wife. The name of his non-profit comes from Bible verse James 1:27, which conveys “true and pure religion” through compassionate acts for others, which drives his mission.
“In that Bible verse, we see that God is not concerned about people going to church every single Sunday, is not concerned about people just like, living like right, religiously and stuff like that. He’s really way more concerned about when we, human beings, take care of each other,” Mulumba said.
After he made his way to Grand Junction, he enrolled at CMU as a non-traditional student. He did all this while managing the success of Father for the Fatherless, which has impacted the lives of thousands of people since it began in 2010. Now, any student can swing by his office in TRIO-Student Support Services, where he works as an engagement and success specialist, to say hello and share in his welcoming warmth.
Although it’s not required, attendees to the African Thanksgiving Dinner are welcome to donate to Father to the Fatherless. Mathias said that the real goal of the event is to share his culture with others and share a dinner table with the community that supports his efforts.
“That’s where we have conversations and talk and get really engaged with one another,” Mathias said of the dinner table. “It’s one way that I can say thank you and be able to sit them down and show them what kindness can do.”
If people are interested in attending, they are asked to RSVP on his website, taata.org/event, so that the team can plan ahead. The First Presbyterian Church where the dinner will take place is located at 3940 27 1/2 Rd in Grand Junction, Colorado.
