This Thanksgiving, Holy Family Catholic Community will seek to spread goodwill through great food when it offers its fifth year of free Takeout Thanksgiving Meals on Wednesday, November 27. As people isolated to stay healthy during the pandemic, Thanksgiving looked different for many in 2020. Such a change led Holy Family to ask the question: What can we do to share the feeling of community and care in a time of separation? How do we let people know that they are not alone? From this sprung the parish’s Takeout Thanksgiving Meal. Since 2020, this message has persevered, remaining an offering of solidarity and comfort. Now entering its fifth year, the program brings people together to make 400 meals for their neighbors and distribute them on the Wednesday before Thanksgiving. This year, the program will celebrate its 2,000th meal made. “Our Takeout Thanksgiving Meal encapsulates the meaning of the holiday—offering gratitude for what we have and sharing it. Many of our volunteers come back year after year, because they so enjoy being part of this event, be it through peeling potatoes, making desserts, or distributing meals. The people who sign up for the meal are always so grateful when they receive it,” Holy Family Catholic Community Director of Human Concerns Erin Cobb said. The meal is a collaboration of staff, volunteers, and St. Mary’s Springs Academy seniors. Parishioners donate items to the meal, while St. Mary’s Springs Academy students bake desserts. Staff, volunteers, and students then prepare the meal of sliced turkey with gravy, mashed potatoes, green beans, a bun, applesauce, and a homemade dessert. From 12:00 to 4:00 pm on Wednesday November 27, anyone who reserved food will be able to pick it up at Holy Family Church, 271 Fourth Street Way. There is no need requirement to reserve a meal. Anyone is welcome to make a reservation, including those who have families, those who will be alone on the holiday, those who are homebound, and those who cannot afford a dinner. To register for a meal, please call the Holy Family Parish Office at (920) 921-0580. When calling, those registering should state how many meals they will need and if they will pick up meals for anyone else. While reservations
are due by Friday, November 15 at noon, meals are available on a first-come, first-served basis and will be capped at 400. “Although the pandemic is behind us, people still long for a feeling of community, and it is our joy to be able to offer a slice of it every Thanksgiving,” Cobb said.
