Each year, God’s Pantry Food Bank’s Sharing Thanksgiving program provides a traditional Thanksgiving meal to families struggling with food insecurity. After months of work that includes processing referrals, acquiring all of the products needed to make up the full meal, and recruiting volunteers to pack boxes, deliver to homebound individuals and seniors, and help with distribution events, Sharing Thanksgiving distributions were held throughout the week before Thanksgiving.
Each family participating in the program received a box of ingredients, including corn and green beans, cranberry sauce, stuffing mix, cornbread mix, and other items. Each box was paired with a turkey, butter, eggs, onions, and potatoes, providing everything needed for a traditional meal for 6-8 people.
The largest number of Sharing Thanksgiving boxes are distributed in Fayette County. More than 1,100 boxes were delivered to homebound individuals and senior living facilities by volunteers and God’s Pantry Food Bank Staff, while social service agencies with whom we partner picked up and distributed more than 600 boxes to their clients. At the two-day distrubution event held at Southland Christian Church, 2,649 families picked up boxes, bring the total number of Fayette County families who benefitted from the Sharing Thanksgiving program in 2019 to 4,447.
In 2018, we expanded Sharing Thanksgiving to Laurel County, where our Southeast Regional Distribution Center is located. In 2019, we expanded again to include Floyd and Rowan Counties, where we also have distribution centers. We distributed 500 boxes in Laurel County, 250 in Floyd County, and 250 in Rowan County.
Sharing Thanksgiving could not happen each year without the support of donors, but also would not be possible without Basket Brigade participants, volunteers for both the delivery event and the distribution event, Southland Christian Church’s facility and volunteer group, and the Food Bank staff who work hard every year to make this holiday a good one for so many families. Thank you!
