The Grace and Mercy Community Food Pantry expresses gratitude to the many community partners and volunteers who helped provide more than 225 Thanksgiving dinners, including turkey and ham, to families who that otherwise may not have been able to afford a holiday meal this year.
Executive Director Scott Lehr said this year marked the pantry’s first organized Thanksgiving giveaway, made possible by widespread community support.
“Our role was simply to provide our facility, volunteers and, of course, Grace and Mercy,” Lehr said. “We truly love helping people, and it brings us so much joy.”
The pantry has distributed turkeys for several years, but volunteers including Janet Spencer, Michael Spencer, Joyce Fitzwater, Donna Haltom, Nathan and Peg Miller and others hoped to do something special this year in light of the challenges many families have faced. Soon after planning began, Lehr received a call from Destiny Golladay of INDOT, who expressed excitement about participating in the project and offered to bring a volunteer team.
Support came from several local manufacturing companies. Penguin Random House, Acuity and Walmart Optical and Pharmaceutical supplied the turkeys and hams needed for the holiday meals.
Many partners also organized food drives to help gather the items needed for a complete Thanksgiving meal. Those supporters included Walmart Optical and Pharmacy, St. Franciscan Hospital, Hoosier Heartland State Bank, The Breakfast Company, Kairos Hair Salon, the Montgomery County Health Department (including the Courthouse, County Office Building, Probation and the Montgomery County Sheriff’s Office), Nikki’z Nails, Toms Marine Sales, Wabash College and especially the Malcolm X Institute.
The North Montgomery High School Key Club held a Thanksgiving box food drive at the high school, contributing 60 boxes. “It is uplifting to see young people in our county caring so much,” Lehr said.
The pantry also received a gift from the Montgomery County Community Foundation, which helped cover part of the cost of food extras.
Distribution began early at 11:30 a.m. due to long lines and continued until 3 p.m. Lehr said volunteers experienced a steady flow of families throughout the day.
“By the end we were physically exhausted but filled with joy for the opportunity to contribute to something meaningful,” he said.
Grace and Mercy Community Food Pantry continues to seek volunteers and community support to fund its initiatives. Donations may be made online at gmcfoodpantry.org. Lehr can be reached at 765-361-1641 or rscottlehr@gmail.com.
“A heartfelt thank you goes out to everyone who supported us in any way,” Lehr said. “We plan to make this an annual event with even more surprises on the horizon.”
