As families begin to prepare for Thanksgiving dinner, community groups say they’re seeing greater need than ever before.
More than 2 million Pennsylvania residents received their SNAP benefits this past week after a delay due to the record 43-day federal government shutdown. But may still struggle to place a warm meal on their table around the holidays.
More than 1,300 families signed up for Thanksgiving support from United Neighborhood Centers of Northeastern Pennsylvania within the first 10 days of registration — an unprecedented surge in families seeking assistance this year.
“Economic pressures are falling hard on working families,” Lisa Durkin, UNC president and CEO said in a news release. “We’re seeing more households with at least one working adult turning to us because paychecks simply aren’t keeping up with the cost of living. Families are trying to stay afloat — and right now, they are leaning more than ever on community resources.”
Dinners available in Northeast, Central Pa.
Across the region, businesses, churches and other groups — including two cousins in Wilkes-Barre — will offer dinners in the next week.
“We’ve seen and experienced firsthand poverty and a lack of resources,” said Darrian Tyson, a Wilkes-Barre resident who organizes an annual dinner giveaway. “As we’re growing in our careers and in our endeavors, we naturally thought that we could do something.”
Tyson and his cousin, Kevin Kaskey, solicited donations and then served free Thanksgiving meals for the Wilkes-Barre community for the last four years.
It first started with a question: Could they feed 100 people for Thanksgiving?
“Utilizing the community that we built via making content, we put out a GoFundMe, we raised money, and we did it,” Tyson said.
Tyson and Kaskey have a podcast together, which is how they started creating the idea. Their goal this year is to feed 600 people.
The two almost didn’t host the giveaway this year, due to starting a new business, but once they heard the news about SNAP benefits being paused, they decided to continue the tradition.
Along with creating a GoFundMe for the community to donate directly to the cause, the duo also reached out to people who they knew personally in the community, such as past coaches and even other people who also host food drives each year.
“I think our words hold a lot of merit now,” Kaskey said. “When we say we’re going to do something like this, a lot of people get bought in because they’ve seen our track record and what we’ve been able to accomplish.”
They’ve made connections to work with different grocery stores, such as Sam’s Club, Schiel’s Family Markets and Weis Markets. Reaching out to local shelters in the area, the pair will ask what their population looks like and how many people are walking through the doors each day to ensure they properly serve them with the correct amount of meals.
“We got pretty scientific when it came down to what we needed to buy this year, we mapped it out pretty accordingly, so we should have everything right on the money with a little bit extra,” said Kaskey.
Cooking for the food distribution starts this weekend, with friends and family ready to help.
Both Tyson and Kaskey will be on Public Square in Wilkes-Barre on Monday, Nov. 24, starting at 10 a.m. handing out meals for anyone in the community to enjoy.
“We luckily have, because of this community and the people we know, have more than enough hands to make this thing a reality each year,” Kaskey said.
Where to find dinner
If you or someone you know can benefit from a warm community meal this Thanksgiving season, look at the list below. Check each event for information or registration.
Bradford County
Sayre Salvation Army - Nov. 24, 4-5:30 p.m
Sayre VFW Post 1536 - Nov. 27, Noon-3 p.m
Carbon County
Living Hope Lighthouse Church - Nov. 26, 5:30-7:30 p.m.
Verona Pizza House - Nov. 27, 11 a.m.-1 p.m.
Centre County
Bellefonte Knights of Columbus - Nov. 27, 11 a.m-2 p.m
Clinton County
Renovo American Legion 442 - Nov. 27, Noon-2 p.m.
KPR and More Bingo Hall (1 Piper Way, Lock Haven, 3rd Floor) - Nov. 27, Noon-6 p.m.
Columbia County
Benton UMC - Nov. 23, 4-7 p.m.
Central Park Hotel - Nov. 26, 3-8 p.m.
Bloomsburg Christian Church - Nov. 27, 1-4 p.m.
Catawissa Cracker Barrel and Grill - Nov. 29, Noon-3 p.m.
Lackawanna County
Friends of the Poor Thanksgiving Community Dinner - Nov. 25, 2:30-5:30 p.m.
Green Ridge AOG - Nov. 27, Noon-5 p.m.
Luzerne County
Wilkes-Barre Public Square - Nov. 27, 10 a.m.-2 p.m.
St. Vincent De Paul Soup Kitchen - Nov. 27, 11- 12:30 p.m.
Sweet Valley Church of Christ - Nov. 27, 1-3 p.m.
St. Stephens Episcopal Church - Nov. 28, 4-6 p.m.
Lycoming County
Friends Church Hughesville - Nov. 27, Noon-3 p.m.
Monroe County
Greater Shiloh Stroudsburg Campus - Nov. 25, Noon-4 p.m.
Montour County
St. Joseph School Hall - Nov. 27, starts at noon.
Northampton County
Christ United Methodist Church - Traditional dinner Nov. 26 at 6 p.m., Brunch Nov. 27 at 11 a.m.
Northumberland County
Old Trail Tavern + Steak - Nov. 27, Noon-2 p.m.
Schuylkill County
Frackville Elks Lodge - Nov. 23, 1-4 p.m.
GroveLife Wesleyan Church - Nov. 27, 9-11 a.m.
G-Lady Community Food Pantry - Nov. 28, 2-5 p.m.
Snyder County
The Selinsgrove Moose Lodge - Nov. 27, 11 a.m-2 p.m.
Cornerstone UPC - Nov. 27, 11 a.m.-2 p.m.
Susquehanna County
Susquehanna Christian Community Church - Nov. 27, Noon-2 p.m.
Union County
Larry’s Pizza & Subs - Nov. 27, Noon-2 p.m.
Wayne County
St. Vincent Depaul Community Outreach - Nov. 26, 2-3 p.m.
Hawley United Methodist Church - Nov. 27, Noon-2 p.m.
Wyoming County
Seven Loaves Soup Kitchen - Nov. 27, 11:30 a.m.-1 p.m.