A Temple organization hosted a community meal to ensure no one spent Thanksgiving alone this November.
TEMPLE, Texas — Hundreds of people in Temple found a place to celebrate this Thanksgiving, thanks to local organization Feed My Sheep and an army of volunteers.
Casey Mooney, Director of Operations at Feed My Sheep, said the organization prepared for weeks to serve their largest crowd of the year.
“We typically serve around 175 to 200,” Mooney said. “Today we’re probably serving between 300 and 400.”
The increased turnout was matched by an outpouring of community support. More than 200 volunteers signed up to help, bringing food throughout the day and lending a hand wherever needed.
“We’ve had people bringing food all day,” Mooney said. “We got a lot of people volunteering. Whether you’re bringing food, whether you’re coming to volunteer, we had a lady up here earlier just giving out hugs. Everybody serves in a different way.”
Mooney said the organization’s mission is straightforward: show people they matter.
“Just show people that they’re loved, show people that you matter,” Mooney said. “Everyone should be able to celebrate Thanksgiving.”
More Than a Meal
For many attendees, the event offered something that can’t be served on a plate: a sense of belonging.
“So many people don’t have family, they don’t have people they can go to their house and celebrate,” Mooney said. “So we just try to be their family. We are their family, we’re their friends. Everyone should be able to celebrate Thanksgiving. Everyone has something to be thankful for.”
One man who attended said the gathering provided comfort during the holiday.
“It makes me feel safe, it makes me feel calm, mostly,” he said.
Jeff Stegall, executive director of Feed My Sheep, emphasized that the true purpose went beyond providing a hot meal.
“The thing that we are serving is community and love,” Stegall said. “Do not miss the opportunity to meet people today and to be in fellowship and communion with them.”
Despite not being a fan of traditional Thanksgiving fare, Stegall said he cherishes what the holiday represents.
“I can’t stand turkey, but I love people coming together,” Stegall said. “They’re celebrating the fact that many different people come to a table and we share this fellowship together. That is a beautiful thing.”
A Family Affair
For Reese Lange, volunteering alongside her family was the perfect way to spend Thanksgiving.
“We always make our own meals and feed ourselves,” Lange said. “We wanted to come out here and do it for somebody else who maybe couldn’t do it for themselves today.”
Lange said the experience reinforced her belief that community extends beyond blood relations.
“A lot of people treat these holidays as like a family type of thing, but this is a family,” Lange said. “The Temple community really is a family.”
Even the youngest attendees understood the significance of the day. One little boy summed it up simply: “It’s time to gather around and have a good family and be together and eat.”
As volunteers packed up meals for delivery and the dining area filled with laughter and conversation, it was clear that Feed My Sheep had accomplished its goal — creating a place where everyone could feel at home on Thanksgiving Day.