The return of our Thanksgiving basket event to Wesley Hall was an unqualified success—on behalf of the Mission staff and the 800 families who were able to enjoy a special holiday meal, I want to offer a HUGE thank you to everyone who volunteered and/or contributed this year. The event wasn’t without its challenges (those grocery supply chain issues you hear about on the news are real!), but we could not be happier with the result.
I’ve been reflecting a bit after the big day. Pretty much every year at my own family’s Thanksgiving table, I remind myself that I need to be more intentional about giving thanks year-round. And pretty much every year, the hectic schedule of the next approaching holiday knocks me right off of my gratitude game.
This year feels like it might be different, though, because the need in our community is at an all-time high. For example, the Mission served over 700 families during its regular food pantry service in the three days before Thanksgiving—a 40% increase over last year. The stories shared by Mission guests each week remind me to be thankful for what I have, and make me feel so lucky to have a job where I get to come in and find ways to lend a helping hand.
We couldn’t make events like Thanksgiving baskets happen, nor any of our year-round services for that matter, without the generosity of the First Church community, so again—THANK YOU!

(photos by Andrew Hellmers)