Families of all sizes stood in line last Tuesday night in front of the North Gwinnett Co-op to receive one of the many Thanksgiving meal boxes being offered to qualifying families in need in the North Gwinnett area.
Cardboard boxes lined the hallway of the Co-Op, each containing items needed for a holiday meal offering a token of hope for those struggling this season. Over 800 boxes were prepared by hundreds of volunteers in the community, including the North Gwinnett Girl Scouts, local businesses and several area churches.
Food was not the only thing being given out Tuesday. The d irector of the NG Co-op Kim Phillips was loading a box into a car as I approached the end of the hallway. A woman who was assisting with the box began to hug Kim and the other volunteers present. The woman was introduced to me as Stephanie, a member of the community, whose husband had suffered a stroke this past year. Stephanie shook my hand as she continued to thank the volunteers, “ya’ll will never know how much this means to us.”
Kim explained that the box they were loading into her car contained medical equipment that the woman’s husband needed for therapy.
Though the list of those in the community that are facing hardships is long, Kim said the Co-op is very fortunate this year and has no doubts that they will be able to help all of those who have applied for and met the requirements for assistance this holiday season. This year’s Thanksgiving meal boxes fed 586 families — over 1500 individuals.
