CULLMAN, Ala. – The Link of Cullman County will host a free Thanksgiving Meal Kit Drive-Thru on Saturday, Nov. 22, offering families a way to bring a full holiday meal to their table during a season that can be financially difficult for many. The drive-thru event will run from 10 a.m.-noon, or until supplies run out, with vehicles lining up in the back parking lot of The Link. Attendees are welcome to arrive as early as they want.
Each vehicle will receive one meal kit, with the option to re-enter the line for additional kits intended for separate households. This year, more than 400 kits have been assembled, each stocked with 20 traditional holiday items, including stuffing, gravy, yams, vegetables, marshmallows, boxed sides and more.
Although The Link typically hosts a community meal on the fourth Thursday of each month to serve those in need, the center will be closed for Thanksgiving week to allow staff time to rest. To ensure no family goes without support during the holiday, the organization created this special meal kit distribution in its place.
When asked about why this giveaway was so important to The Link, Community Outreach Coordinator Avery Heis said the goal of the event goes far beyond handing out food.
“It means a lot,” Heis said. “We all have heartwarming or even hilarious memories of gathering around the table and sharing a big meal for Thanksgiving or Christmas. Many of our neighbors who come to The Pantry are already struggling, and while these food-based holidays are always really fun, it can be pressuring for our friends who are already feeling food strain. That’s where we come in with this.”
The meal kits were made possible through the combined efforts of numerous community partners, including local churches, businesses, civic groups and individual donors. “We couldn’t do this without our volunteers. Not to this extent,” Heis said. “Our local partners have really stepped up to the plate on this one to make sure that our neighbors could have a special experience regardless of their income and that’s really what we are all about—loving our neighbor and making sure they are cared for.”
Heis said the hope is that families leave with more than just groceries.
“We hope, besides the food, that they leave our parking lot with the feeling that someone cares about them. That someone is rooting for them,” she shared. “We hope this special supplemental event makes our neighbors feel a sense of normalcy during what has been a really turbulent time as far as our economy and the SNAP crisis goes. We just want them to feel loved and be able to make those same seasonal memories.”
The Link encourages anyone who could benefit from a Thanksgiving meal kit to attend, no questions asked.
For more information, visit The Link’s Facebook page or contact the office directly at 256-775-0028 or info@linkingcullman.org.
The Link of Cullman County is located at 708 Ninth St. SE, Cullman, AL 35055.
