Volunteers box up Thanksgiving meals for 8,000 people
By Briana Smith
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PITTSBURGH (KDKA) — The Thanksgiving tradition continues for the Light of Life Rescue mission. They spent this year preparing to serve meals to 8,000 Allegheny County residents.
More than 100 volunteers packed the boxes with turkey, gravy, stuffing, corn, cornbread and more at the World Vision distribution center on Monday morning.
“If it’s just packing boxes and putting rolls or stuffing or potatoes in a box, it seems like a small thing, but it’s an amazing impact,” said Shannon Arnold, FedEx Ground University managing director. “To hear that we’re serving 2,000 families this year, it’s such a blessing.”
Arnold has been volunteering for four years with her FedEx co-workers. This year, more than 20 are participating.
“It’s really important for us to recognize that there’s all different types of people in this world who need our help and we have the ability to do it,” said Arnold.
“Food insecurity has been growing in our area,” said Jerrel Gilliam, the Light of Life executive director. “One in seven people say they’re experiencing food insecurity, so this outreach is very important at this time of year.”
Gilliam said this is one way to bring the community together to help their neighbors.
“There are people in Allegheny County that care about them and love them and today we need to know that message,” said Gilliam. “There is so much out there about division, hatred and all that stuff.”
“We are hopefully delivering hope this year to the people who are feeling a little left out, are feeling challenged and this is a way for us to deliver back to the communities we serve.”
They hope to fill families with food and a whole lot of faith this holiday season.
On Thanksgiving day, the Light of Life Rescue Mission will serve more than 1,000 meals as well as hand out hygiene kits, gloves and scarves.
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