Food Pantry feeds 11 families

REDee^OAK — Eleven Montgomery County families will be celebrating this Thanksgiving Day even though they’ve fallen on hard times.

On Friday, Nov. 21, Church of the Nazarene volunteers put together Thanksgiving packages that included turkey, stuffing, potatoes, cranberry sauce and other holiday favorites as well as enough food for three other meals.

In the food pantry of the church, 1104 N.ee^Fourth St., volunteers Katie Gresham and Marlena Morse put the packages together.

“We’ve got a lot of elderly who sometimes can’t buy medicine because they have to eat,” Gresham said as she put turkeys and other food into bags.

Gresham said Thanksgiving baskets are also being picked up by a father who recently lost his job and won’t have unemployment for a few weeks.

“He didn’t know how he was going to feed his family, his 6-month-old baby,” she said.

“There are a lot of people out there who don’t know how they are going to make it.”

Last week, the food pantry’s cupboards were full with vegetables and other items. Freezers were filled with a variety of meat, and of course, turkeys.

“We’ve been busier lately,” Morse said, noting layoffs and difficult economic times are likely to prompt more families to seek help from the pantry.

During the month of October, the pantry — started by Hazel Lewis and her late husband, Toby — provided food to 46 families.

The supplies were enough to provide 1,323 meals to residents in need, she said.

“We do this all an a donation basis,” she said.

Anyone wishing to donate non-non-perisable food to the pantry can do so between 1 p.m. and 5 p.m. Wednesdays at the church.