On this day of thanks, food insecurity seems far off, yet hundreds of residents would have gone hungry if not for places like catholic charities.
Hunger takes many forms, and with the increased price of everything from rent to groceries, many are finding it hard to put food on the table. While many of us take a warm meal for granted, access to food is a major issue to hundreds of thousands of Americans every day.
“I'm not working right now, but I'm just hanging in there, looking forward to going back to work, I'm still young enough!” said Catholic Charities Client Michelle Jacobs.
But that's where places like Catholic Charities step in.
“If we did not offer this, there are literally people that would go hungry on Thanksgiving and all the other days of the year," said Catholic Charities CEO Marie Baxter.
And today, was a big day for them. Due to a partnership with the Nugget Casino that has been going on for 60 years feeding the hungry on thanksgiving with the same quality of grub you would get at the casino, no one left hungry.
“It's a team effort, it really kinda brings the community together to help those less fortunate on a day when really you should have something to be thankful for," said Randy Kennedy, Director of Marketing for the Nugget Casino. “In the age of COVID, keeping yourself healthy and strong is one of the most important things you can do."
Today, Catholic Charities are serving over 1000 meals, we are talking over 350 pounds of turkey alone and hundreds of pounds of other fixings all to help out feeding those hungry mouths.
“Everyone has been working in the kitchen, we have been working here since 5 this morning doing some food preps while waiting for the food to come from the Nugget and getting it all served up," said Baxter. She goes on to say that this is not just a handout though, as there are staff on hand to connect one on one with clients, that it’s the “beginning place where we can start to form a conversation to look at somebody's larger needs and see what we can do to help them so that maybe next year they are not standing here in our line because their lives have changed."
And of course, this could not be accomplished without a dedicated team of volunteers.
“A lot of people need help right now, so it's a good way to help and it's good to be around good people who care," said volunteer Jim Cavilia. “I'm thankful mostly for my family, good health, and people like this who take care of others."
The nugget has been providing meals to those in need since 1955, and plans to continue the tradition.
If you would like to volunteer or donate to Catholic Charities, you can click here: ccsnn.org
