Friday was one of the busiest days of the year for Helena Food Share, as they held their annual Christmas meal distribution.
“We want to, during the holidays, do what we can to make sure that people who couldn’t otherwise have a holiday meal for their table are able to put a holiday meal on their table for themselves and their families,” said executive director Bruce Day.
Day said they planned to provide between 800 and 900 meals Friday at their Helena pantry. Customers received turkeys and holiday favorites like stuffing, potatoes and cranberry sauce, along with a wide variety of fresh fruit and vegetables.
Food Share collected the turkeys for the event through their annual Turkey Challenge donation drive. This year, the drive brought in 2,892 turkeys – enough for Thanksgiving and Christmas meals, plus some left over.
About 100 volunteers were on hand throughout the day, in three different shifts, to help organize and distribute the food.
Day said Food Share has been giving out holiday meals in this format for about 10 years. He said it is a reminder of the need in the Helena community, and of how people in the area respond to it.”
“The community is so generous,” he said. It seems like they’re always here when we need them, helping meet the need and kind of the demand, for people in our community who need some assistance getting food.”
You can find more information about Helena Food Share and their services here .
