For the 2024 holiday season, Caring Ministries partnered with local churches and individuals to give away over one thousand two hundred food boxes to families in need.
Traditionally on the Monday before Thanksgiving, Caring has a team of volunteers – regulars, neighbors, first-timers, and volunteers from other programs – gather to give away these holiday food boxes. This year we had around eighty-five volunteers doing various tasks to make this event run smoothly. The food boxes are packed full of bread, canned foods, stuffing, and more! Each holiday food box weighed about fifty pounds. Different groups over several months help to build the holiday boxes that will be distributed. Grateful for all the time and hard work to prepare everything in time.
Families started to form a line outside the gate in the morning. The Caring team prays for the distribution. Before starting the holiday distribution, the families are told that the food does not come from Caring Ministries, the food is from God. He provided this food, Caring is only the vessel that he is using to give through, then concluded with prayer. The volunteers take positions stagging food boxes with bread, making other food bags, and putting food boxes onto carts that are taken to cars and unloaded. This allows for a smooth process and opportunities to chat with families in our community. In two hours, 400 boxes were given out.
These holiday boxes have made an impact in our community each year. They provide hope, joy, dignity, life, smiles, full bellies, and family traditions. During a day when all of us stop to give thanks for what we have, the greatest joy for the Caring team was blessing others. Overall, Caring gave away over 91,000 pounds of food.
Walmart continues to provide some of the food needed for the holiday boxes at a discounted price. Through these partnerships, we were able to buy five hundred needed turkeys. Caring is grateful for their partnership and support of our community. The Southern Arizona Food Bank and other grocery partners provide the rest of the food and supplies.
It was a great day for the families receiving the food as well as those serving. For many volunteers, the day was already a tradition, an essential part of their Thanksgiving. For some volunteering for the first time, it was a surprisingly joyful way to begin the holidays. Jaime, a volunteer fluent in Spanish and English, uses his gift of evangelism to talk with those in line about Christ. He asks if people would like prayer and also offers the opportunity to accept Christ into their hearts.
“…remember the words of Lord Jesus, how he himself said, ‘it is more blessed to give than to receive’” – Acts 20:35
Join us this next holiday season. With your support in person or donations, we hope to be able to bless more families again next year. Reach out to us for details on the holiday giving days and how to give to the Holiday Campaign. To learn more about how to get involved throughout the year, contact us at (520) 882-2645 or info@wearecaring.org.