Light of Life Rescue Mission feeding 10,000 people with Thanksgiving boxes

PITTSBURGH — Over 2,000 Pittsburgh families in need are getting Thanksgiving dinner boxes thanks to donations from the community and efforts from many volunteers.

The boxes went from table to table at the World Vision Pittsburgh Distribution Center Monday morning, as volunteers packed them with all the trimmings for Thanksgiving dinner.

“Everyone gets a turkey — 10-pound turkey — there’s mashed potatoes, there’s gravy, there’s collard greens, there’s a pumpkin pie, there’s butter. We even throw in a devotion in there for some inspiration for the families,” said Doug Smith, the assistant executive director for Light of Life Rescue Mission.

These meals will help feed 10,000 people. Over 40 organizations helped identify families who have fallen on hard times and wouldn’t have Thanksgiving dinner otherwise.

“This started in 2012 with just 76 baskets to serve families in need,” Smith said.

Light of Life says it’s their biggest Thanksgiving box outreach to date. This year, more families and seniors are facing food insecurity.

All of the items in these boxes were donated during food drives organized by Light of Life Rescue Mission, drives that 11 Cares took part in.

For volunteers, it’s a community effort.

“It’s great to see the camaraderie not just from our team at Peoples, but the entire community comes together and works with Light of Life,” said Nick Paradise, the Communiations Manager at Peoples Natural Gas.

“We’re just really grateful for the Pittsburgh community, the thousand volunteers every single year, and thousands and thousands of donors,” Smith said.

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