Parishioners from St. Augustine and Holy Trinity churches gathered at St. Augustine on November 18 to assemble Thanksgiving food bags for families in need. The effort is an annual collaboration between St. Augustine’s Social Concerns Ministry and Holy Trinity’s Society of St. Vincent de Paul Conference.

This year, the initiative will provide 150 families, with household sizes ranging from two to ten people, with food for a Thanksgiving meal. The food bags include traditional items such as green beans, corn, stuffing, yams, a frozen turkey, and fresh produce. Many of these items were donated by Holy Trinity parishioners.

Families registered for the program through St. Augustine Church earlier in the fall and began picking up their food bags on November 24.

Volunteers said the project is particularly important this year due to rising food costs and increased demand at local pantries. Carl Hulsewede, a member of Holy Trinity, commented on the situation: “With the economy and food prices now, it’s a lot harder for people who didn’t have much to begin with.”

Sara Striegel, also from Holy Trinity, observed that more people are struggling: “There are a lot of people in need right now,” she said. She added: “It’s a wonderful opportunity to be able to bring some goods for people for Thanksgiving and to see all the items that our church donates. The people are so willing to give so much.”

Paul Pendell from Holy Trinity pointed out the importance of community involvement: “People need to eat,” he said. If churches do not step up, “who else is going to do it?”

Joyce Frazier from St. Augustine explained her motivation for volunteering each year: “It’s something that I like to do, and it’s something that needs to be done.”