Early on Saturday morning, God’s Pantry Food Bank Southeast Regional Distribution Center and The Creek Church in London collaborated to distribute Thanksgiving meals to families in the Laurel County area. Receipts were preregistered and referred by agencies in Laurel, Jackson, and Clay counties.
The meals consisted of “Sharing Thanksgiving” boxes, of which 1,000 were assembled at the God’s Pantry Food Bank Southeast Regional Distribution Center in London earlier this month. Since 1994, God’s Pantry Food Bank’s “Sharing Thanksgiving” program has provided ingredients needed for a traditional Thanksgiving meal to families facing hunger in the Commonwealth.
The boxes included non-perishable items such as green beans, corn, peaches, pears, a cornbread mix, cranberries, pears, a stuffing mix, sweet potatoes, gravy, and a fudge brownie mix. Along with the boxes, families also received items necessary to prepare a Thanksgiving meal, including a turkey, fresh potatoes, onions, eggs, and butter.
Automobiles lined up and circled the parking lot of The Creek Church, and volunteers loaded the boxes along with the other items from pallets. Participating volunteers included people from the God’s Pantry Food Bank, The Creek Church, Jackson Warewashing Systems, and the UK Extension office in London.
“The most meaningful thing about “Sharing Thanksgiving” is the joy and blessing it is to provide a Thanksgiving dinner to hundreds of local people who wouldn’t be able to have a Thanksgiving dinner,” said Jonathan Gibson, a CDL Class A and Transportation Specialist with God’s Pantry.
“One special thing that happened today to me was there was an elderly lady who received the turkey dinner and handed me a $5 donation,” said Gibson. “That spoke volumes to me because here she is in a food insecurity situation and she’s giving of her money to help our cause. It was her way of saying thank you.”
“We do this for those who truly need it and appreciate it,” concluded Gibson.
God's Pantry Food Bank is dedicated to fighting food insecurity in the Commonwealth. The organization serves 50 counties in Central and Eastern Kentucky in partnership with more than 475 food pantries and meal programs.
Collectively, for 2022, the “Sharing Thanksgiving” program will distribute more than 6,500 boxes to families in Clay, Fayette, Floyd, Laurel, Jackson, and Rowan counties.
While the distribution was a preregistered event, if you or someone you know is still in need of assistance this holiday season, more information about “Sharing Thanksgiving” can be found on the God’s Pantry Good Bank website: https://godspantry.org/
Darrell Lovitt, Freelancer for The Kentucky Daily