Article Contributed on: 11/6/2009 12:33:52 PM
The Thanksgiving Basket outreach at Littleton's Abiding Hope Lutheran Church has set a goal in this year of increased economic stress of providing 800 boxes of food for the needy.
Thanksgiving 2008 brought 500 joyful members, friends and neighbors of Abiding Hope together to assemble 25-pound boxes of groceries for families suffering economic distress. The boxes, plus a 5-pound sack of potatoes and a certificate for a turkey, made up Thanksgiving "baskets" totaling more than 20 tons.
The baskets served an estimated 4,000-plus people last year through such agencies as Aurora First United Methodist Church, Bridgeway, Family of Christ, Cristo Rey, Denver Rescue Mission, Sheridan Health Center and InterFaith Task Force.
The Thanksgiving Basket Ministry is one of the oldest outreach ministries at Abiding Hope. This year, each basket will cost approximately $35, so to meet the goal, the outreach ministry will need to raise $28,000. That is a special challenge this year, but Abiding Hope, its friends and neighbors have always risen to the opportunity this program creates.
Donations are suggested in multiples of $35, but Abiding Hope will gladly accept whatever gift people give. To give, write your check to Abiding Hope and place "TBaskets" in the memo blank, so your donation is allocated to the Thanksgiving Basket ministry. Abiding Hope's address is 6337 S. Robb Way (Coal Mine and Simms), Littleton, 80127.
If you want to volunteer your time, simply be at Abiding Hope at 6 p.m. on one or both of the following evenings: Wednesday, Nov. 18, to unload food and set up basket assembly lines or Friday, Nov. 20, to fill the baskets. Volunteers will be finished both nights by 8:30.
If you haven't participated before, you will love the experience - hundreds of volunteers and a joyous beehive of activity. If you have young children, Abiding Hope suggests you come on Friday night. Even small children can put a package of macaroni in a basket, so kids get "front-line" duty filling boxes. They love it and they can have a tangible connection to helping the less fortunate. It is a great way for families and groups to start the holiday season. This is open to the entire community.
For more information, go to
www.abidinghopelutheran.org or call 303-972-1283.
John D. Dix is the editor for communications for Abiding Hope Lutheran Church.