For over 30 years members of Emporia’s Church of Christ has spent the majority of their Thanksgiving holiday giving back to others and this year was once again no exception.
The congregation came together for the 32nd annual free Thanksgiving meal where all were welcome and walked away full of turkey and all the fixings. Congregation member Gail Weakly has been a part of the meal since its inception and says she’s grateful for the time with both her immediate family and church family during the holiday.
Weakly also says there are many who do not have immediate family to spend the holidays with. With that in mind, they tell KVOE News the dinner is not only a great community service opportunity, but it can also help change another person’s perspective of the season altogether.
Pastor Neil Taylor says half the meal is the church’s way of “putting scripture into action.”
Taylor adds half of the residents who pass through their doors are genuinely in need of food during the holiday. Meanwhile, Taylor says the other half is in search of something else, a sense of community and togetherness.
On average the meal sees several hundred plates filled with food each year. This year was no different as the church served between 500-525 meals Thursday.
Photos by Tagan Trahoon/KVOE NewsÂ
