As holidays approach, local charities face greater challenges serving those in need

As the holidays approach, the need for donations this time of year becomes even greater. But, with COVID and inflation, local organizations are in need of extra help to fulfill their mission.

"A lot of people don’t get to have a Thanksgiving and a lot of people don’t get to have a lot food, so we just wanna make sure they won’t be hungry for the Thanksgiving week," volunteer Jhari Coates said.

It takes a whole lot of work to get 5,000 meals ready for the Great Family Gathering. Monday, volunteers will fan out around the city, delivering a full Thanksgiving meal to the homeless.

"Donations have been down this year, but we still have a lot of people who have a giving heart. I say all the time, if all of us do a little bit, we’ll be able to do a lot," Pastor of Church of Christian Compassion, Terri Lynn Donnell, said.

Almost 1,000 people lined up for turkeys, sides and pies from Philabundance, receiving everything they need to make their own traditional Thanksgiving dinner.

"We think about times like this, the times of the holiday, especially when inflation is so high, it becomes that much more important for us to deliver on our mission to ensure that our families have access to fresh, healthy food and, frankly, to have a happy Thanksgiving," explained Philabundance CEO Loree Jones Brown.

And, in Pennsauken, even in a tough economy, dozens dropped off donations for the Food Bank of South Jersey’s Thanksgiving drive, a massive effort that hopes to bring in enough food for 22,000 Thanksgiving dinners.

"We think about the people that we serve, but also the people in the community really come together to support us and we’re very grateful for it. We couldn’t be thankful enough for all the support we get from the townships that we serve," Charlie Hosier, of Food Bank of South Jersey, stated.

All of these charities need help not just during Thanksgiving, but for the upcoming Christmas season and beyond. For more information about each one:

Church of Christian Compassion website

Philabundance website

Food Bank of South Jersey website