ELKHART – Churches, food banks and other charities are teaming up to distribute free Thanksgiving meals in northern Indiana ahead of the holiday.
Erik Salyer, a member of McCoy Memorial Baptist Church in Elkhart, handed out turkeys and side dishes Thursday.
“We want people to know we are here for them,” Salyer said. “So we started this program. This is the second time we bring them here and let them know we care about their physical needs. Then we also try to set up prayer tables and prayer requests so that we can minister to them spiritually.”
The church, in partnership with the Food Bank of Northern Indiana, distributed 200 free turkeys to those in need in the community. The church also raised money and purchased food boxes with various side dishes, including a can of green beans, a package of stuffing mix and a bag of mashed potato mix.
“We just discovered that it’s a great way to connect with people in the community and meet a practical need,” said Esther Flora, who coordinated the event for the church. “But also meeting a spiritual need when they need prayer. We had a family that was starting to come [to church] the last time and we were able to serve them.”
The turkeys are delivered through the WNDU Turkeys on the Table Challenge, in partnership with the Food Bank of Northern Indiana, to dozens of locations throughout the region. Each household will receive one 12- to 14-pound turkey.
This was the second food drive the church has organized in partnership with the Food Band of Northern Indiana. The first food drive took place around the 4th of July when they gave out chicken and an assortment of food items.
Turkey distribution began on November 11 and will continue through November 25 at various locations.
John Scott, a food bank delivery worker of Northern Indiana, said the food bank’s goal is to distribute 10,000 turkeys in Elkhart, Kosciusko, LaPorte, Marshall, St. Joseph and Starke counties within two weeks.
“If you miss this one, there are many more,” Scott said. “Anyone can come. The only question we ask is the size of your family. That’s it. You do not need a driver’s license or ID. Exactly the size of the family, because we like to know how many people we are feeding.”
The turkey distribution at the church started at 12:30 PM and ended at 2 PM, but the cars were lined up long before the drive started. Cars were lined up along Simpson Avenue, about three blocks from the church.
Marla Anderson, a member of McCoy Memorial Baptist Church who was part of the prayer team, said many people in line for turkeys were open about their prayer requests. Some people asked for prayer about illness, financial situation and family.
“Sometimes people just want a prayer in general, so we pray that they will see God at work in their lives and that his word is true, his promises are true, that they can claim them,” Anderson said. “And for other people, we specifically prayed for the needs they mentioned.”
The next turkey distributions in Elkhart County will take place Saturday at Maple City Chapel in Goshen and Clayton Homes in Wakarusa. Both locations aim to distribute 500 turkeys each.
A turkey giveaway is also planned at New Hope United Methodist Church in Elkhart from 9 a.m. to 10:30 a.m. Nov. 25. The goal is to distribute 300 turkeys.
