PINELLAS COUNTY, Fla. — It's become a tradition at Radius Church in St. Pete to gather before Thanksgiving to bag and distribute meal kits collected by the community.
"We're a church of about 200, 250. And so when you really process that we are a part of a community, feeding 750 families, at least up to 800. And, you know, it just speaks to the generosity of our people and that they're very passionate about this," said Pastor Amanda Clarke.
Nine years ago, the church started the drive. They gathered enough to feed about 50 families that year.
"What we really love about this, honestly, is because we've just experienced so many people who don't have the opportunity. Maybe they're older, and they are caring for grandchildren now in their home and they don't have the opportunity to be able to get to the grocery store, even that's a hardship. And so it's such a gift to be able to walk into homes and hand a turkey and hand a bag of groceries and just be able to let them know they are seen and they are valued," she added.
Volunteers met Wednesday night to pack bags for an organization dear to the church: St. Petersburg College's Women on the Way program.
"A lot of our students might not have the financial means, or they're dealing with food insecurities themselves where they can't purchase a Thanksgiving meal. We know today how expensive food is. So being able to not worry about trying to provide a meal for themselves and their families, Radius Church stepped in and did that for our students." said Program Coordinator Shirley Crumbley.
In addition to a bag full of groceries, the students are also receiving a gift card and four tickets to Great Explorations Children's Museum.
The program is focused on helping students navigate school and family.
"We are a resource and support program for students who wish to obtain a certification or college degree. Our mission is to support these students in any way we can through a host of services from a textbook in the library, to a clothing boutique, to scholarships, to leadership conferences to keep them engaged and involved so they walk across that stage, graduate," said Crumbley.
There are currently 611 students enrolled in the program.
"Most of the students in our program are 36 and older. 75% of our students are part-time. So they're trying to take care of business. They're trying to work. They're trying to take care of their family. They're trying to navigate their careers and their education to get that degree and certification. But they felt we felt there was a need for that additional, additional support, that additional engagement involvement."
Pastor Clarke says this year is even more critical to get meals into homes.
"I think we're all in a season where it's hard. And there's a darkness, I think, even inflation, for people who would consider themselves middle class and maybe not food insecure; it's been a tough season for everybody. Because if you're going to the grocery store, you're seeing it just continually go up," she said. "We understand you want to be able to spend some time at the holidays with your family and not worry about how to put that meal on the table."
It's an act of service Pastor Amanda Clarke hopes to see for generations to come.
"What I love about this is, as you see, there are children loading up meals; they'll be buckled up in car seats on Monday with their parents delivering meals. I love that because I believe generosity really has to be taught young and they get to have that opportunity," she said.
The church will deliver those bags in the morning.
The other 650 bags will be packed this Sunday and delivered to other families in need on Monday. Those families include ones identified by school guidance counselors, members of CASA, and people living in food-insecure neighborhoods.
