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Epworth holds Community Thanksgiving food basket giveaway

Donald Spray chooses some healthy vegetables from Epworth’s Hubie Brown during the food basket giveaway. DAN COOK PHOTOS
Dan Cook
November 26, 2024

Epworth United Methodist Church held its annual Thanksgiving food distribution Nov. 24.

Members of the community were able to take home a Thanksgiving food box with turkey, chicken or other food donated by businesses around the area. The remaining Thanksgiving boxes will be distributed from 10 a.m. to 12 p.m., Tuesday, Nov. 26.

“The Epworth Food Ministry obtained 400,000 pounds of food last year from donations,” said Mike Tyler, coordinator of the Epworth Food Program. “Restaurants give a lot of donations, and we rescue food from grocery stores. Mountaire just donated 75 boxes to feed 75 families.”

The Epworth United Methodist Church soup kitchen is open every Sunday from 1 to 3 p.m., when the community can enjoy a hot meal and fellowship. The food pantry is open noon to 2 p.m., Sundays; 10 a.m. to 12 p.m., Tuesdays; and 2 to 4 p.m., Thursdays, when the community can obtain a box of food.

“Last year, the Good Samaritan Ministry food pantry helped 12,000 people,” said Good Samaritan Ministry leader David Streit. “This year, it will be 14,000.”

“Today went great,” said coordinator of food donations Dotti Outland. “We fed a lot of people today with the soup kitchen, with the Thanksgiving food boxes, and the Good Samaritan Food Pantry boxes distribution. People lined up really early to get the food. We are very pleased.”

For more information about Epworth’s Food Pantry go to epworth.faith/food-ministry.

 

Mike Tyler, coordinator of the Epworth Food Program, prepares meatloaf for the Sunday meal.
Dotti Outland, coordinator of food donations, readies frozen turkeys to be given away to the community.
Volunteer Nico Allenbaugh stocks the shelves for attendees to choose their food.
Sandi Mosher, left, and Janet Brownback prepare the salad for the free soup kitchen meal.
Carolee Botts, left, and Barbara Henriksen display the edible turkey treat for the centerpieces.
Charlotte Williams, left, and Mike Thomas fill the vegetable boxes for the giveaway.
Goods Samaritan Ministry leader David Streit poses with the racks of free food.
Eric and Cherith Snyder of the House of Mercy in Seaford feed 16 residents. They obtain food from the Epworth Food Pantry each week.
Showing that volunteering is a family affair are Chuck and Maureen Knesel.
Gary Tronio is a veteran at volunteering at the food pantry.
Elisha Baker, right, gets her meatloaf meal from volunteer Janet Brownback
Standing with the donations from Mountaire are (l-r) lay minister Gwen Osborne, coordinator of food donations Dotti Outland and volunteer Maureen Knesel.
An attendee gets fresh vegetables from Epworth’s Hubie Brown.

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Dan has worked for the Cape Gazette for more than 30 years as a photographer and reporter, covering high school sports and happenings around eastern Sussex County. He won a photography award from the National Newspaper Association, and numerous awards from the Maryland, Delaware, D.C. Press Association. A Delaware native, Dan graduated from Cape in 1972 and returned as a teacher and coach in the 1980s. He retired from the classroom in 2016. He was inducted into Cape High’s Legends Stadium in 2016. In his spare time, Dan enjoys spending time with his wife, two sons, grandchildren and dogs. 

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