They gathered on a blustery, wet Saturday before Thanksgiving to move pallet-loads of food: turkeys, potatoes, veggies, cranberry sauce, and more. They took cartons decorated with crayon and marker drawings and filled them with boxes of stuffing, loaves of bread, cans of vegetables, and jars of gravy. Then they loaded the food into their cars and delivered it to families in need—over 300 of them.
For the last 8 years, volunteers from Wyoming churches have worked with Valley Interfaith Community Resource Center to bring Thanksgiving feasts to needy families in the area. “Over the years, we’ve packed and delivered more than 2000 boxes,” says Kevin Helser, who organized the first Thanksgiving box drive. Since that time, six local churches have joined the effort, providing funds, space, and volunteers. This year, over 200 volunteers turned up to help, representing Ascension and Holy Trinity Episcopal, Friendship Methodist, the Presbyterian Church of Wyoming, Wyoming Baptist, Northminster Presbyterian, and St. James of the Valley Catholic Church.
In addition to the Thanksgiving feast, each box contained enough to supply lunches and dinners for the rest of the holiday weekend. “Many of these kids won’t get meals while school is out,” Helser said. “So we put in things like spaghetti, peanut butter and jelly, and so on.” The food was purchased from local retailers, often at a discount, using donations from the church congregations.
The mood was cheerful as men, women, and children formed human conveyor belts to bring the food from the truck into the gym at St. James of the Valley, pack the boxes, and take them back to the parking lot. There, cars waited to take the food, complete with cooking instructions and even pumpkin pies, to the recipients, who signed up through Valley Interfaith.
