In early November, Nicole, a mother of two, called Bridges of Hope in tears because she knew she and her husband Tom would not be able to afford a Thanksgiving dinner for her family. Tom had been laid off a few months earlier and the family was just making it on Tom’s unemployment and Nicole’s part-time job–there was simply no extra money left over at the end of each month.
Thankfully, she had been referred to Bridges of Hope by a local food shelf, who knew that Bridges is the coordinator for our community’s unique Thanksgiving Baskets program. Churches, businesses and individuals sign up to sponsor a family’s meal for Thanksgiving, and families in need sign up to receive a Basket. Bridges of Hope matches the sponsors with families, sharing how many people are in the family and where they live, and the sponsor goes out to purchase items for a full Thanksgiving meal.
By the end of that same day, Nicole’s family was matched with a waiting sponsor, who assembled a Basket and delivered it to Nicole a couple days before Thanksgiving. Nicole and Tom were able to enjoy a turkey dinner with mashed potatoes and stuffing–while still being able to continue to pay their ongoing household bills themselves.