London community members put food on the table for those in need this Thanksgiving

LONDON, Ky. ( FOX 56 ) — Community members in Laurel County came together today to make sure people can have food on the table this Thanksgiving.

"Imagine for a moment, Thanksgiving morning, and you don't have food to gather around to spend time with loved ones, to think about the celebrations of the past year, to think about the opportunities for the future," said the CEO of God's Pantry Food Bank, Michael Halligan.

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But that's the sad reality for the more than 265,000 people in central and eastern Kentucky who are unsure of where their next meal will come from.

God's Pantry Food Bank's "Sharing Thanksgiving" program is working to fill bellies and hearts. It's been doing this for more than 30 years.

"We've seen the program grow year after year after year, which is heartwarming, but it's also heartbreaking that it has to grow," said Halligan.

At the "Basket Brigade" in Laurel County, volunteers put things like cranberry sauce, corn, stuffing mix, and even dessert into boxes. Each one is enough to provide a meal for up to 8 people.

Halligan said, "In a couple of weeks, when we do the distribution, we'll match up these baskets with a turkey, with eggs, with potatoes, so that it's a complete Thanksgiving meal."

There are also "Basket Brigades" happening in Rowan and Fayette Counties. By the time it's all said and done, this program will have given out more than 8,500 Thanksgiving meals this year.

For the volunteers packing these boxes, it means a lot more to them than just putting food on the table. It's what community is all about, unity.

"I actually am a social worker in this county, and I see the difference that these boxes make for the families that I work with," said one of the volunteers, Misha Smith.

London community members put food on the table for those in need this Thanksgiving

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