Food banks, nonprofits prepare to provide Thanksgiving meals for West Michigan families
BATTLE CREEK, Mich. — Thanksgiving is less than two weeks away, and local food banks and volunteer organizations are preparing to distribute food ahead of the holiday.
The Salvation Army is preparing 380 turkeys and meal bags for families who signed up to receive them. They will provide those meals for people on Monday, Nov. 25.
The bags include stuffing, potatoes, green beans, and corn.
“We’ve got them packed, we’ve got them ready to go, we’ve got frozen turkeys that are going to be ready to go,” Captain Grace Roinilla of the Salvation Army of Battle Creek said.
The holidays can be a tough time for people who deal with food insecurity.
That is why the Salvation Army is hoping to do what they can to help.
“It’s been a very fun time for the families to realize how much their effort and their time invested in the Salvation Army comes back to bless us,” Roinilla told News Channel 3.
Also in Battle Creek, the South Michigan Food Bank is preparing for several food distributions soon.
They prepared for a food drive on Monday afternoon, while also preparing to distribute 1,600 turkeys to their 370 agencies across the eight counties they serve in Michigan.
“In the warehouse, every day is 100 miles an hour, so the need — it never goes lower, it just ramps up a little higher,” South Michigan Food Bank Director of Development, Lori Sunie, said.
Holiday memories are made around the kitchen table with a nice meal. Sunie hopes to provide a chance for those memories to be made to as many Michigan families as possible.
“A holiday memory that you have will always include a family table, a meal; we want to make sure whatever that meal looks like to a person, that we’re able to provide whatever that is, and make that experience and that memory a fond one for them as well,” Sunie told News Channel 3.
The Salvation Army of Battle Creek is hosting a Thanksgiving dinner at their 400 Capital Ave. NE location from 11:30 a.m. -1:00 p.m. on Tuesday, Nov. 26.
That dinner is expected to serve around 225 people, and all are welcome to attend.
Classic Thanksgiving foods, like turkey, stuffing, and potatoes will be served.
Anyone who would like to learn more about the Thanksgiving dinner can contact the Salvation Army of Battle Creek at 269-963-3640.
