The Thanksgiving season shines a bit brighter for scores of families in Great Falls this year thanks to the efforts All For Him Gathering Ministry. The faith-based organization launched their Thanksgiving food drive again this year, distributing around 300 boxes of food to families in need.
“We’re just excited because we love to serve our community. That's what our ministry is all about,” said Candra Oakes-Niswanger, the senior pastor for the group.
Stacks of boxes line the walls of the house acting as their place of operations, and countless stacks of food await to be packaged.
“Last year, we did about 45-50 of them. This year, we were just praying and we felt like the lord said go big. So, we said, what if we were to be able to accomplish 200 dinners for people in the surrounding community? And as we began to reach out to see if there was a need, we actually had a need for over 300.”
With a number of businesses chipping in donations to help the ministry’s cause, the success of the food drive highlights the power of community in action – especially during the holiday season.
A list of businesses that donated food include:
- Central Avenue Meats
- Franz Bakery
- Steel Etc.
- Albertson’s NW
- Smoked Barbeque
- Jersey Mike’s
- 5th and Wine
- Walsh Construction
- Haute Hive
- Lifestyle Real Estate Firm
- Staples
- Wheat Montana
- Great Falls Community Food Bank
“There's such good things about our city and there are people that struggle and so we as a community, we should be helping each other. That's what love looks like,” said Candra.
On Monday, November 25th, the boxes of food will be passed out from the houses garage at 1704 Meadowlark Drive in the morning, and volunteers will be waiting to load boxes in their cars and deliver up to 200 boxes to various locations in the community.
The efforts serve as a reminder of the importance of compassion, generosity, and faith. They hope to grow their efforts next year.
