WSFA 12 News Montgomery, AL |Giving back on the day we give thanks

Giving back on the day we give thanks

Posted by: Melissa Johnson - bio | email

Dothan, AL (WSFA) – On Thanksgiving, many folks spend the day watching the parade and enjoying a family feast.

However, more families than ever are struggling to put food on the table this year.

But thanks to the Salvation Army, they have the fixings' to enjoy a traditional Thanksgiving dinner.

Instead of serving a traditional sit-down dinner this year, the Wiregrass Salvation Army handed out boxes with all the trimmings inside.

This way, families could cook and enjoy their meals in their own home.

Corps. Officer Lt. Jonathan Howell said, "Some of the fun is in cooking that food and spending time around the stove.  It just brings fellowship with the family, and we like to add that, so that's what we're trying to bring this year for Thanksgiving."

Paula Hill, one of those recipients, said, "It makes it easier for folks who can't really afford to pay for this food."

Folks were hand chosen, based on need, to come to the office and receive their boxes.

But, if you walk out the Salvation Army, and just a few blocks down the same street you'll meet a woman named Sister Davis, whose vision is very much the same—feeding the hungry in her own community. 

Sister Minnie Davis said, "A lot of people are hungry, and I feed a lot of people just from my house." 

And after years of offering those meals from her home, she had an idea—a soup kitchen.

Davis said, "When I applied to be able to start building it, I told them, that since I feed the people in my house, I wanted to just get a place to feed them and minister to them."

Family and friends helped her turn a building across the street from her house into a church. 

Now, she's trying to complete the kitchen.

She said, "The kitchen's going to be on the other side of the church, but there's still a lot of work that needs to be done.  But, I ran out of money, so I can't really complete it yet."

She says, she hopes that one day it will become a reality, so next year, like the Salvation Army, she can fill empty stomachs this holiday season.

If you'd like to donate or help Sister Davis complete her soup kitchen, she's set up a phone number for information, 334-671-5617. 

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