Staff member Abbey Hartman with new client, Ronnie
On Thanksgiving Day at the Homeless Resource Center (HRC), a group of Adopt-A-Family staff and volunteers spent the afternoon serving up hot meals to families who otherwise may not have had a way to cook for the holiday.
From Lisa Raymond, HRC Engagement and Quality Assurance Tech:
Thanksgiving was right around the corner, and I wanted to do something with purpose. I didn’t just want to spend another Thanksgiving overeating at mom’s house (as we all tend to do).
Initially, my idea was to gather a couple co-workers and cook Thanksgiving meals for the Homeless Resource Center clients. There are families who have no kitchen, no way of preparing food for their holiday. These are families who are sleeping in their cars or motel rooms. What were they to do? I knew we should make sure these families had a Thanksgiving dinner together somehow.
Volunteer Ronnie Brown, AAF staff member Thelma and her husband, Elliot
Preparations began for a holiday feast for our HRC families. When we realized it wouldn’t be possible to cook for everyone ourselves, we got approval to cater the Thanksgiving meal.
Then, we started calling clients. We assigned times for families to come and pick up meals to take home or to have their meal at the HRC. We set up tables and decorated them with table cloths, sanitizers, and chocolate turkeys. A 6th grade class at Sacred Heart Catholic School made beautiful place mats, which were placed at every seat.
Families trickled in one by one, most of them taking meals back to their homes. They were so very grateful. Each family received a hot meal and dessert for each person in the household, and it didn’t cost them a thing.
I could not have asked for a better crew of AAF staff and volunteers by my side on Thanksgiving day. We wanted to help families who do not have a home, do not have a kitchen to cook in, some who do not even have a roof over their heads. I am so grateful we were able to provide an easy and safe way for these families to have a Thanksgiving meal together.
