Thanksgiving Meals
A 2022 Cooperative Response Grant Recipient | St. Andrew UMC | Florissant, MO
For 27 years, St. Andrew UMC has been sharing the love of God with the surrounding community through a Thanksgiving meal. In 2022 they had the goal of feeding 1,000 people, which is double what they had fed in previous years. With a little creativity and a lot of community partners, they came very close to that goal with 963 meals. Their partnerships across denominations and community organizations are a great example of the ministries Festival of Sharing hopes to support through the Cooperative Response Grant.
The day before Thanksgiving, St. Andrew partnered with Soulcial Kitchen, a local mobile kitchen, and Christ the King United Church of Christ to serve meals at the Salvation Army Ferguson Empowerment Center. They also delivered meals to everyone in the Salvation Army's family emergency shelter and three senior centers and distributed meals through a local food pantry.
This ministry not only requires a lot of food but also a lot of helping hands. On Thanksgiving Day, 40 volunteers came together to prepare about 125 meals an hour. 21 delivery drivers distributed the meals across a 4-county area in Missouri and Illinois. Keith's Savories, a local catering company, prepared the delicious meat by smoking 26 turkeys. Volunteers helped peel and prepare 200 pounds of potatoes, and a local Girl Scout Troop donated hundreds of pre-packaged desserts.
The individuals and families receiving the meals are primarily from the local school district, three senior centers and those who have previously received meals. The Proffitts, a mother, father, and son team, lead St. Andrew in this ministry. Jennifer said, "We have families who have received food and have their thank you cards ready. This year we even received some popsicle stick turkeys from a family. Those moments make all the hard work worth it."
Festival of Sharing is honored to partner with St. Andrew through a 2022 Cooperative Response Grant. If you have an ecumenical ministry project around hunger or poverty, consider applying for a 2023 Cooperative Response Grant. Find out more here.
