Thanksgiving Day is just around the corner; it’s a time when we all give thanks for God’s bounty and celebrate with a big Thanksgiving meal. But there are some folks in our local community whose Thanksgiving meal will consist of what meager offerings they can find at the local food pantries.
For decades, our congregation has opted to share the bounty God has given each of us by donating complete turkey dinner baskets to those in need in our local area. Last year, we prepared and delivered over 60 baskets to the Martin Luther King, Jr. Community Center and to Smarty Pants Pre-School. Despite the higher cost of groceries, we hope to do the same or better this year, aiming for 67 baskets.
Every basket has the same contents, which are listed below:
- Turkey
- Stuffing mix
- Gravy
- Mac and cheese (2 boxes)
- Canned vegetables (4 cans)
- Canned sweet potatoes/yams
- Corn bread mix
- Brownie mix
- Rice (2 pound bag)
- Red beans (1 pound bag)
- Applesauce
- Canned cranberry sauce
- Soup (2 cans)
- Loaf of bread
There are two ways to donate a basket: First, take the shopping list and buy all of the items yourself. If you shop yourself, please buy/use one of the reusable grocery bags from the market to make your “basket”. Please bring the dry goods to church on Sunday, November 16, and bring the turkey and bread on November 23; the baskets will be completed after worship that day.
Alternatively, donate money and we’ll shop for you. The cash value of each basket has been set at $45. Mark your check or envelope “Thanksgiving Baskets” and drop it in the collection plate or mail it to the church office. Alternatively, you can use the QR code on the church website and donate to the Mission Fund.
If you are unable to provide a full basket, then bring what you can from the list. All contributions are gratefully accepted. And if you know of a family who might be in need of a basket, please let Mark know so that we can put them on the list.
For those who donate money, we will be shopping during the week of November 17, and the baskets completed on November 23. The completed baskets will be distributed on Monday, November 24. Kindly sign up in the Colonial Room to let us know how many baskets you wish to sponsor so that we have a sense of how many baskets to expect. If you wish to help with shopping, sorting, packing or delivering the baskets, please sign up in the Colonial Room. Thank you for sharing!