Volunteers of all ages helped us to deliver turkeys and boxes of Thanksgiving food to 28,099 people, more than ever before. We are so thankful for you!

Filled with Gratitude

On this Monday after Thanksgiving, the Mission Arlington^® family is truly grateful. We are grateful to God first & foremost, because we know that all good gifts come from Him (James 1:17). We also have a deep sense of gratitude for you, the community that constantly surrounds us.  If you were here during the week, or as some would say, “a fly on the wall,” you would hear “thankfulness” as our constant refrain (Philippians 1:3).

You Provided the Food

Think of this.  You brought enough food to feed 28,099 people – 6,953 families. You drove by with full trunks of food.  Instead of birthday gifts, some children asked for people to bring food for people in need, then they brought it to us. So many teams – civic clubs, schools, businesses, and other organizations, organized food drives. You spent your own money – making flyers, communicating the need in a variety of ways, collecting the food, then bringing it to us.  When we put out the word that we were short of food, you shared our Facebook notice about the need over 48,000 times.  Cars filled with food were lined out to the street as a result.

You Delivered the Meals

Volunteers came as early as 6:45 on Thanksgiving morning to set up for the day – with tables, chairs, rope lines, trash cans, and more.  At 7:30, all of us stopped to pray before the mass of volunteers (4,668 of you) arrived at 8:00 a.m.  At 8:00 we heard a challenge from Mayor Jim Ross, and bowed our heads for prayer, led by former mayor Jeff Williams.  There were “Good mornings!” and “Happy Thanksgiving” offered at every turn, and smiles all around.  The spirit and energy of a community coming together to serve others was such an amazing blessing – to us, but more importantly, to the people who received the food.

What were the Results?

1. Number of Families Served? – 6,953
2. Number of People Served? – 28,099 – more than ever before.
3. Number of Volunteers Helping? – 4,668

Our Heart & Hope

Our hope, and our heart continues to be that when people gather around those family tables, that they will pause to give thanks – not to Mission Arlington^®, or even to this community, but to the Lord. Thank you so much for making this possible.