Several years ago God gave Sandy Johnson a vision. What if local families in need were able to have a Thanksgiving meal at home instead of going to a drop-in center or city mission? Wouldn’t that communicate love, compassion and infuse the recipients with dignity?
Johnson, a senior staff assistant at Cheyenne Hills Church, Cheyenne, Wyoming, shared the idea with church leaders, and the Thanksgiving Basket project began in 2012.
Since its inception, more than 2500 baskets have been delivered and over 15,000 people have been fed.
This year, the church, which celebrated its 25th anniversary in October, received enough donations to distribute 520 baskets.
Thanksgiving basketsThe project’s co-coordinators, Johnson and April Damey, manage the 135 volunteers needed to unload the massive amounts of food, load the baskets and deliver them to the recipients at local schools and the VA.
Each basket contains everything needed for a complete Thanksgiving meal and a gospel booklet.
“It is our hope that the recipients of the Thanksgiving baskets will feel the love and compassion of Christ through this project,” said Cheyenne Hills communications director Georgeann Wearin.
