Thanksgiving food giveaway serves thousands of Columbia residents
Alison Patton
COLUMBIA, Mo. (KMIZ)
Around 7:30 a.m. on Saturday, about 200 cars wrapped around the Parkade Center in Columbia, nearly two and half hours before the Powerhouse Community Development Corporation was supposed to start giving out free turkeys and food boxes.
The giveaway had to start 15 minutes early because about 500 cars had pulled into the parking lot and some were stalling traffic in the roadway, Powerhouse CEO Charles Stephenson said.
“Everybody’s going to get a turkey and a food box,” Stephenson said. “We’ve never run out to date.”
Powerhouse purchased about 600 more turkeys this year, because they’ve seen about a 40% increase in need, Stephenson said.
SNAP benefits were released earlier this month, but Stephenson said there’s lasting financial strain from that.
“People had already started spending some of their disposable income to buy food and groceries, and now they got the SNAP, but they don’t have the cash to pay bills,” Stephenson said.
Hope Edwards was at the Thanksgiving giveaway, and she said she isn’t eligible for SNAP because her partner is still in school, but they’re living on one income.
“This then allows us to have a more normal Thanksgiving,” Edwards said. “All the food’s expensive, even like ground beef is so expensive right now, so this helps a lot with that.”
Miss Boone County Colleen Finney got up early Saturday morning to help pack cars with turkeys and food boxes. She said helping her community is worthwhile.
“The holiday season is coming up, and we have to remember that there are those that are in less fortunate situations,” Finney said.
Powerhouse is having a hot meal giveaway on Thanksgiving from 11 a.m. to 2 p.m. at the Fifth Street Christian Church.