The Thanksgiving holiday is a time to reflect on the things for which we are thankful. This year, there are many opportunities across the Northside to share those blessings with others.
From Stewpot to MadCAAP, there are plenty of places and a variety of ways to spread some holiday cheer and give back during this season of giving thanks.
At Stewpot, the Thanksgiving baskets are waiting to be filled and will be distributed November 19 through 21. Executive director Jill Buckley said any food donated after those dates will be used to fill Christmas baskets or to serve families and senior citizens who come to the food pantry during the week of Thanksgiving.
Food items needed for holiday baskets at Stewpot are turkeys and hams, cornish hens or whole chickens for smaller families, canned sweet potatoes, cranberry sauce, canned vegetables, corn meal or cornbread mix and cake mixes.
“We'll be distributing around 300 Thanksgiving baskets this year and another 300 at Christmas, so we need all the help we can get,” Buckley said.
All donations can be dropped off at Stewpot. The office will be open Monday through Wednesday the week of Thanksgiving. Stewpot is open during lunch each day of the year.
Galloway United Methodist Church will host its annual Thanksgiving in Jerusalem on November 26 to feed the homeless. There is also a meal each Monday, Wednesday, Thursday and Friday.
Those who would like to volunteer should arrive by 8 to 8:15 a.m., and guests are welcomed in at 8:30.
For more information about volunteering or the efforts of Galloway, contact Eddie Spencer at ESpencer@Gallowayumc.org.
MadCAAP already has its Thanksgiving food and volunteers for this year, but marketing director Judy Miller said they are beginning to collect items for the 100 Christmas boxes for families who participated in the Holiday Adopt a Child program.
Items for the Christmas food boxes must be dropped off at MadCAAP, at 181 Watford Parkway Drive, by December 11. Here is the entire list of foods that will be placed in the boxes.
The boxes, which will be given to families with children, each include two of the following: boxes of macaroni and cheese, large cans of a hearty soup, boxes of pop tarts, cans of green beans, cans of mixed fruit, cans of ravioli type meals, cans of corn, cans of green/collards, cans of tuna, cans of chicken and boxes of shelf milk.
The boxes will also include one of each of the following: peanut butter, grape jelly, breakfast cereal, a box of Ritz crackers, peanut butter snack crackers, box of fruit snacks, box of instant oatmeal, large bottle of juice, canned spaghetti sauce, box of spaghetti noodles and a block of Velveeta cheese.
MadCAAP is also accepting some additional items that they will add to the boxes, such as a loaf of bread, bag of apples, bag of oranges and ham.
Gateway Rescue Mission is in need of several items this holiday season. Gateway’s kitchen serves breakfast, lunch and dinner seven days a week, 365 days a year.
Volunteers may sign up to serve either lunch or dinner. Volunteers must be twelve years of age and accompanied by an adult if under 18. The maximum number of volunteers allowed in the kitchen is seven.
Director of Volunteer Services Rusty Ryan said they can always use industrial size canned goods.
As the temperatures drop, they can also use coats, jackets, gloves, blankets and hats or anything else a person could use to keep warm.
Donations may be dropped off Monday through Saturday from 8 a.m. to 5 p.m. at 328 South Gallatin Street in Jackson.
The Good Samaritan Center, whose mission is to assist families and individuals in emergency situations, is accepting food donations.
The best times to drop donations off at the center are 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. on Mondays and Wednesdays or noon to 5 p.m. on Thursdays and Fridays.
The center accepts canned food items, flour/sugar, macaroni and cheese, coffee, beans, apple sauce, canned fruit and more. For a full list of most needed items, visit goodsamaritancenter.org.
