Since Michael Jones began working at Peter”s Rock Temple Church of God in Christ in 2003, he has been astounded by the number of Starkville residents who have nowhere to go for Thanksgiving dinner.
But Thursday, just as it has for the past 10 years, Peter”s Rock is providing a free Thanksgiving meal for residents of the Starkville community.
The meal will be held from 11 a.m. to 2 p.m. in the Frank Howard Jr. Activity Center, located next to the church in the 200 block of Martin Luther King Jr. Drive.
The church typically feeds about 500 people every Thanksgiving, though that figure includes meals delivered to nursing homes, elderly and sick residents, shut-ins, the Oktibbeha County Jail and orders for pick-up, said Jones, who serves as church administrator. The church has fed Thanksgiving dinner to as many as 700 people in one day, he said.
Those who attend this year can expect plates full of turkey, ham, dressing and side items to complete their Thanksgiving meal. Roughly 80 people can sit down and eat inside the activity center at any given time, Jones said.
Some of the food for the meal will donated by Peter”s Rock congregation members, while the rest will be purchased by the church. The church typically goes through about 15 turkeys each Thanksgiving, Jones said.
For Jones, who has been a member of the church since 1998, helping the elderly, the sick and the less fortunate is a payment in itself.
“What we get out of it is the opportunity to show love and show God to the less fortunate,” he said. “It”s an opportunity to share Christ in the community, regardless of age, race, denomination, anything. It”s an opportunity for us to really make an impact in the community.”
“We get a lot of people,” he added. “There”s a lot of stuff going on out there. A lot of people out there really need this. A lot of people aren”t fortunate enough to have food, to have an actual “dinner” dinner on Thanksgiving, so we really get the opportunity to minister and help people out.”
With church volunteers cooking, serving and conversing, delivery drivers coming and going, and families sitting down to enjoy their meals, the Thanksgiving experience with the Peter”s Rock community is friendly and fun, Jones said. He is encouraging anyone to attend.
“You can come in, sit down and have a good meal, or even take carry-out if you”d like,” he said.
Peter”s Rock is looking for volunteers to help on Thanksgiving. For more information or to place an order for delivery or carry-out, call 662-323-5119.
First United Methodist Church in Starkville also offers a free Thanksgiving meal, although it is designated for members of the city”s international community. The meal begins Thursday at 12 p.m.
The meal at First United Methodist was started by Armando and Ruth de la Cruz in their home, but eventually outgrew the family”s space and was moved to the church. As many as 200 people have attended the international Thanksgiving dinner in the past, said First United Methodist Pastor Danny Rowland.
Church members and cook and prepare the food. First United Methodist is located at 200 W. Lampkin St. For more information, call 662-323-5722.
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