Atonement Lutheran Church to host Thanksgiving

Even with a robust economy there are still individuals in our community who need help. Maybe they don’t have a meal for thanksgiving or maybe they’re just lonely.

Atonement Lutheran Church hopes to serve folks in that position this month with a big Thanksgiving outreach.

The church will host a Thanksgiving Eve dinner on Wednesday, November 21, from 5:30-7:00pm. All who attend will be offered a hot meal of turkey, mashed potatoes, stuffing, and all the trimmings free of charge.  The church says they have enough food to serve several hundred people, and it will be available until the food runs out.

Atonement said in a statement they understand its mission is not only to bless those within its walls, but to equip its members to grow deep in God’s love, and reach wide to spread God’s love beyond our walls.

But it’s not just a meal. Entertainment is planned with a musical offering plus several raffle drawings throughout the evening.

To donate or volunteer at the church call 913-648-0595.

A study by the Kansas Food Bank and Feeding America shows that 1 in 7 people, or an estimated 215,300 people, in the Kansas Food Bank’s service area turn to food pantries and meal service programs to feed themselves and their families. This includes 68,900 children and 19,900 seniors.

Johnson County’s 2018 Feed the Need campaign is providing almost 145 tons in food donations and cash to benefit seven local food pantries.

This past summer a Feed the Need campaign was carried by Johnson Counties government and results were announced by Ellen Wernicke, director of the county’s Department of Emergency Management and Communications and chair of the 2018 campaign. The announcement coincides with September being Hunger Action Month, locally and nationally.

The 2018 campaign collected 289,765 pounds of food, both in actual food donations and cash totaling $71,620. A dollar donation represents four pounds of food. Each of the food pantries benefitting from Feed the Need received $7,162 for use in providing food supplies to eligible Johnson County residents.

Three of the food panties are in multi-service centers at Mission, Lenexa and Gardner operated by the Department of Human Services. The Feed the Need campaign also assists food pantries operated by Catholic Charities of Northeast Kansas, Shawnee Community Services, First Christian Church of Olathe and Salvation Army.

To assist with food needs in your area, contact 913-715-5000.