The fellowship hall at Church for the Lost and Found-First Assembly of God was filled with laughter and delicious aromas Thursday morning as members organized special Thanksgiving meals for Meals on Wheels recipients.
“We have roughly 64 meals going to 40 homes,” said Pastor Ryan Mitchell, who reported that a team of 10 members had been working at the church most of the previous day and since 4 a.m. that morning in preparing deliveries.
Packages included turkey, stuffing, potatoes, candied yams, orange fluff, individual pies and more.
“Honestly, this is way more dishes than my family has ever had,” Mitchell said, adding that “Everything we have is homemade from scratch… It’s all made with love.”
Mitchell reported that the Thanksgiving endeavor started with someone in the church who has “a passion for making sure people are fed.” Since Meals on Wheels doesn’t deliver on Thanksgiving, the church coordinated with them to get requests from any of the recipients who wanted part of the feast.
This outreach isn’t a surprise to the church’s pastor. “In my 2.5 years in Dublin, the faithfulness and the generosity of this small church has astonished me in many ways,” he said adding they are particularly moved to help those in need, the elderly and the disabled.
Mitchell stresses that this was a community project.
“We couldn’t do it without the help from outside, he said. Cottonwood Baptist Church and other anonymous donors provided funds to purchase turkeys and supplies while some helped cook turkeys, desserts and other items.
Deliveries were set to start at 10 a.m. that morning so volunteers could get home to start on their own Thanksgiving meals and togetherness.
“We want to be a church that if we had to close our doors, this community would fill it,” said Mitchell. “It takes time to build that reputation, but it’s worth it.”
Meals on Wheels of Erath County is always on the look out for volunteers to deliver or clients in need of assistance.
General eligibility guidelines require that clients be at least 60 years of age or older and unable to prepare their own meals. We do have access to limited funds for disabled, home-bound Erath County residents under the age of 60. An in-home assessment is required for all clients before services can begin and each year thereafter to determine eligibility. For more information, call (254) 965-3510.