Thanksgiving doesn’t have to be limited to sharing a feast with family, and by attending Apison Baptist Church’s Thanksgiving dinner, people can help feed other families on a day-to-day basis.
The dinner, which is being held in the church gym Sunday, Nov. 24 starting at 5 p.m., is a fundraiser for the Apison Food Bank.
Apison Baptist took over operation of the food bank in July from another organization that was phasing out the program, which was low on funds. The church has held several fundraisers for the food bank since this summer, allowing the number of people served to grow significantly.
Apison Baptist Church photo / Speakers from last year’s Thanksgiving dinner at Apison Baptist Church are, from left, Ronnie Tullos, a pastor from Memphis with a similar ministry; U.S. Rep. Chuck Fleischmann; and Hamilton County Commissioners Sabrena Smedley and Randy Fairbanks. Smedley and Fairbanks are returning to speak this year, along with Hamilton County Assessor of Property Marty Haynes, state Rep. Esther Helton and Hamilton County Trustee Bill Hullander.Before the church took over, the food bank was serving 300 families a week. In August, it served 500 families, growing to 751 families in September and 878 in October. The food bank is planning to serve 900 families this month, said Apison Baptist Church pastor the Rev. Macil Duncan.
Other congregations – Pine Hill Church of God and Apison Seventh-day Adventist Church – have also joined in to help run the food bank, he said.