Bridgeport Rescue Mission is preparing for their annual Great Thanksgiving Project to provide 3,000 Thanksgiving fixing bags and a frozen turkey to struggling community members in addition to serving Thanksgiving dinners to Mission residents and guests. The Great Thanksgiving Project distribution will take place Nov. 18-23, at Webster Bank Arena in Bridgeport from 12:30 to 2:30 p.m. BRM also will distribute at Grace Baptist Church in South Norwalk on Nov. 19, 4:30-6:30 p.m.,, Nov. 20, 1-3 p.m., and Nov. 21, from noon-2 p.m.. On Thanksgiving Day, Mission guests will enjoy a traditional dinner at the Mission’s Main Campus dining hall.
“Each person seated in our dining hall or waiting in line to receive a pantry bag is hungry for more than just a Thanksgiving meal,” said Executive Director Terry Wilcox. “Some long for acceptance, a caring conversation, or simply confirmation that their lives really do matter. Each meal we provide comes with a side of hope and the understanding that there is a community that cares for them.”
Bridgeport Rescue Mission is asking for the community’s help to ensure that everyone in need receives a Thanksgiving meal. A gift of $2.50 provides one meal and hope for a hungry person. Friends and partners may sponsor one or more Thanksgiving meals by making a financial donation at BridgeportRescueMission.org.
Frozen turkeys and holiday food staples are also needed to prepare Thanksgiving meals and fixings bags. The Mission’s greatest food need is for 12- to 15-pound frozen turkeys, boxes of stuffing, canned green beans, peas and corn. In addition to holiday food items, winter coats will be distributed to low-income community members during the Great ThanksGiving Project and donations of warm winter coats, along with jackets and other winter wear, for men, women and children of all ages are needed. The donations may be dropped off at the Mission’s Donation Center, 1069 Connecticut Avenue, Unit 2B, in Bridgeport, Tuesday through Saturday from 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. The Mission asks that all food donations be made by Nov. 9.
“We are grateful to be part of such a compassionate community,” Wilcox said. “We are confident our friends and partners will help meet the needs of our neighbors so no one goes without a Thanksgiving meal.”
For more information on the Great ThanksGiving Project or the Mission’s programs and services for homeless and hurting men, women and children, contact Donna Romano at DRomano@BridgeportRescueMission.org.