CENTERVILLE, Ohio (WDTN)– Morningstar Baptist Church is focusing on families worrying about food insecurity this year as Thanksgiving is less than a week away.

After partnering with several local school districts, 100 families in Montgomery, Greene and Warren Counties will be receiving a free packaged meal to ensure no one is left behind in the holiday season.

“I think there’s a lot of people who are needing assistance who have never found themselves in that spot before,” said Lead Pastor John Decker. 

In years prior, Morningstar’s mission started out with 10 turkeys, which grew to 60 and has finally exploded at 100 packaged meals. These meals consist of everything a family would need for Thanksgiving, including a giant frozen turkey.

With the help of Deaton Plumbing and Thrive Chiropractic, enough donations were gathered to collect hundreds of items to make the food baskets.

Pastor Decker says they started doing a Thanksgiving Meal Drive when they realized how many families are in need right in their own community. 

“If you’re asking for assistance for the first time or repeatedly, it can make some families feel lost or not important when in fact, they are,” said Pastor Decker. “It’s our job as a church to show them we are all family and we’re always here to help and never be ashamed to ask for help either.”

Meals have already been claimed and set aside for the 2022 holiday season, but if you’d like to add your name to the 2023 list, click here.