Multiple charities in Cincinnati are working to ensure that everyone enjoys a warm Thanksgiving meal this holiday season.
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According to WCPO 9, Freestore Foodbank and Fifth Third Bank are teaming up with the Cincinnati Bengals NFL team to provide 2,000 holiday meal kits at the Fifth Third Bank in Madisonville on Tuesday.
This comes as The American Farm Bureau estimates the cost of a Thanksgiving dinner is up 25% from 2019.
BLOC Ministries is also offering meal kits. They also hosted a hot meal Sunday in collaboration with Peoples Church, Crossroads Church, Hamilton County Public Health, and other organizations.
The event was created to offer people a place to come together before the holiday. All attendees were then given a box of food to take home and prepare on Thanksgiving Day.
Chris Staser, director of operations at BLOC Ministries, said, “Anytime you bring food, there’s going to be conversation and gathering and community that comes around that.”
He also noted that he has witnessed an increase in the amount of people in need this year, which makes these efforts all the more necessary.
A list of “Upcoming Food Distributions” was posted online by the Freestore Foodbank. It also lists dozens of food donation events between now and the end of the year.
Although the Future Ambassadors Inc. event was not listed, WCPO 9 reported the organization hosted its food distribution event over the weekend. This aided 225 families — which is nearly a 100% increase from last year.
Katrina Hill was one of the people who were served at Sycamore High School Sunday and expressed gratitude for these community efforts.
She said, “I’m just so pleased and happy that someone thought about me and my family on Thanksgiving.”
Inez Lowery is another individual who benefited from the donations.
“It means a gift from God. That’s what it means to me,” she stated.
