Ill ' -T :
Photos by Kevin Walker
The Rev. Bobby Wilson speaks to food recipients as his wife, Cynthia , looks on.
4
WTQR's Angie Ward interviews food bank solicitor Chuck Harmon live on the air Satur
day in front of Lowes Foods on Robinhood Road.
Thanksgiving
fr^m ptige A I
giving but all year-round." Wil
son told those who came for the
food. For You Christ Ministries
is less than two years old. It start
ed with just Wilson; his wife,
Cynthia; and their daughter, Luc
qetia. Today he has a multiracial
flock of about 30 members.
Wilson, a Raleigh native,
spent 20 years in the military. He
and his family were living in
Tampa when. Wilson said, they
were called to Winston-Salem to
serve. Wilson believes that as the
church reaches out, it too is reap
ing blessings. One of those
blessings is For You Christ Min
istries' first freestanding church,
which is being constructed on
Old Salisbury Road.
Andrea Walker believes that
the church will continue to be
enriched if it continues to help
others. Walker was one of the
recipients of the Thanksgiving
food.
"It is just nice to know that
there are still churches like this
that reach out to help people
without asking any questions."
she said. Walker says that there
are people who need help at (his
time of the year, many of whom
people would not expect.
"Someone may wear nice
clothes and drive a car, but you
really do not know people's
financial situations." Walker
r
said.
Wilson arul his congregation
worked hard to finc^s ponsors to
provide the food for the families.
Wilson said companies were
enthusiastic about helping out.
"We can get a whole lot of
things from people if we simply
ask," Wilson said.
Shugart Enterprises. Dudley
Cosmetics, Excalibur Custom
Homes Inc. an?TD&L Hill Inc.,
contributed to the church's
effort.
Wilson and his church family
were not the only ones last week
end thinking about those who
may go without the traditional
holiday trimmings that many
people take for granted. Efforts
to make sure that every family
has a Thanksgiving meal are
nothing new for the folks at the
Second Harvest Food Bank of
Northwest North Carolina. The
food bank held a daylong food
drive Saturday at the Lowes
Food store on Robinhood Road.
Shoppers were encouraged to
buy items from the store and
then donate them to the food
bank. The donated items were
put on the back of the trailer
truck, hence the name of the pro
motion "Fill the Truck."
Spokesperson Jenny Moore
said the food bank, which pro
vides 4<kk1 to partner agencies in
18 counties, always has
increased demand during the
holiday season.
"I think a lot of families just
want to make sure that they have
what everyone else has for the
holidays," she said. Moore said
the food bank has been fortunate
- able to meet the supply for the
increased demand through part
drives. It is wonderful."
The Fill the Truck drive got a
big show of support from Hon
eysuckle White Turkeys; the
Wichita, Kan. -based company
donated 2,500 pounds of turkeys
Twelve-year-old Sanchez Clyburn holds a sign promoting For
You Christ Ministries food giveaway.
nerships with companies such as
Lowes, which supports the food
bank year-round, and the gen
erosity of the people.
"At this lime of year, peo
ple's hearts open up," she said.
"We get calls every day with
people asking how they can help.
We have churches doing food
to the effort. The food bank also
got help Saturday from 104.1
FM WTQR. The "Malion's on-air
darling, Angie Ward spent part
of the morning broadcasting-live
from the store, encouraging lis
teners to stop by and give.
As the truck was being filled
at Lowes, across town hundreds
wm 11 i l. i i
of people were waiting to get
their fill of gospel music and
praise. The music was the open
ing act for what has become an
annual tradition at Mt. Olive
Baptist Church. Each Thanks
giving the church provides
turkeys and other food items for
the community. This year, the
church passed out a whopping
5(X) Thanksgiving baskets, a new
record for Mt. Olive.
The basket giveaway started
at noon, but by 1 1 a.m. a line of
several hundred people had
already taken up a block in front
of the church, which is on
Belews Street. By 1 1 :30 a couple
hundred more people were wait
ing, turning the already congest
ed straight line of people into an
L-shaped line.
The Rev. Charles Gray had
seen big crowds before in years
past but none like Saturday's.
"Knowing that there are people
out there in need pushes us to try
to provide more and more bas
kets each year," he said.
The baskets were given on a
first-come, first-served basis.
The church was blessed to have
enough baskets to give to all of
those who came. The giveaway
was done outside in the church's
parking lot. It seems as ff the
drizzling subsided just as the
giveaway was set to sun. As is
tradition at Mt. Olive, senior cit
izens. many of whom came with
the aid of walkers and power
wheelchairs, were served first.
Church members carried baskets
to the seniors.
Essie Mae Tate, one of the
seniors on nand. said that Mt.
Olive provided was more than
nourishment. The event was
food for the soul as well, she
said.
"There are people here who
probably have never stepped
over the door seal of a church,
but they are here hearing this
wonderful music and getting the
Word," she said. "Somebody's
soul is going to be touched by
this."
Katrina Finney has received
holiday baskets from Mt. Olive
for the last couple of years. She
is moved by the church's gen
erosity each time she picks up
her food. She asked to borrow
the microphone to share her feel
ings with the crowd.
"I want to thank Rev. Gray,"
she said. "He fed my family last
year and this year."
But Gray does not want the
credit or the praise, although he
got plenty of both from grateful
recipients.
"What you are receiving is
from the Lord." he said. ?
Mt. Olive got some sponsor
ship help this year from 1340
AM The Light. The station pro
moted the giveaway on its air
ways. and station staffers helped
assemble the baskets and give
them away. But like in previous
years, Mt. Olive bought the food
itself.
Katrina Finney praises the work of Mt. Olive while the
church's pastor, the Rev. Charles Gray, stands nearby.
Bertha Mitchell lifts her hands in praise in response to a per
formance by the Mt. Olive Baptist Church Choir.
HRKBKaSS
^ ? Will Hill ?? ?? Tfc 1
Anita " Boss Lady" Dean and Juan Suarez of 1 340 AM The
Light helped out at Mt. Olive on Saturday.
Hundreds of people wait in line before the basket giveaway at Mt. Olive.
Cynthia Wilton greets food recipients with handshakes.
Left: Whitney
Propst and her sis
ter f Kadaija,
assemble a boxes
of food for needy
families at the
Holiday Inn
Hanes Mall. The
girls are members
of For You Christ
Ministries.
Right: A Mt. Olive
member hands off
bags of food to a
local woman.