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Church gives away 500 Thanksgiving dinners

Volunteers surprise families with meal deliveries.

JIM NOELKER People lined up at the corner of Fisher Dr. and Wayne Meadows Cir. Saturday morning in Huber Heights for "Food For Huber." The food giveaway was organized by The Vineyard Church and the Hope Foundation.

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By Mark Gokavi, Staff Writer 12:05 AM Sunday, November 20, 2011

BEAVERCREEK — About 500 families got a knock on the door Saturday morning and received a free Thanksgiving dinner.

The Vineyard Church of Dayton and Beavercreek packed and delivered that many meals to families in Fairborn, Xenia, Huber Heights and Centerville as part of their “Turkeys Giving Away Turkeys” initiative.

Organizer Steve Bowen said nearly 250 volunteers put together packages including a frozen turkey, corn, green beans, yams, cranberry sauce, potatoes, macaroni and cheese, stuffing, rolls and more.

“To see the look on somebody’s face when you show up with a complete dinner and they didn’t know where their food was going to come from, it’s hard to believe,” said Scott Sliver, one of the pastors at The Vineyard.

The Vineyard also delivered regular groceries to families in need in Huber Heights, which is a program they help other groups with each month.

“The face of the poor is changing around town,” Sliver said. “It’s really hit the middle class pretty hard.”

Staff photographer Jim Noelker contributed to this report.

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